72 Mr. A. Chapman's Rough Notes 



commence walking away with low croaks; then the whole 

 five hundred necks rise at once to the full extent^ every bird 

 gaggling his loudest as they walk obliquely away, looking 

 back over their shoulders as though to take stock of the 

 extent of the danger. Pushing a few yards forward, up they 

 all rise, and a more beautiful sight cannot be imagined than 

 the simultaneous spreading of their thousand crimson wings, 

 flashing against the sky like a gleam of rosy light. Then 

 one descends to the practical, and a volley of slugs cuts 

 a lane through their phalanx. 



In many respects these birds bear a strong resemblance to 

 Geese. Like them. Flamingos feed by day ; and great 

 quantities of grass &c. are alw^ays floating about the muddy 

 water where a herd has been feeding. Their cry is almost 

 undistinguishable from the gaggling of Geese, and they fly 

 in the same catenarian formations. The irides of the oldest 

 individuals are very pale lemon-yellow ; the bare skin next 

 the eye is also yellow, and the whole plumage beautiiully 

 sufi'used with warm pink. In the young birds of one year 

 (which do not breed) this pink is entirely absent, and even 

 their wings bear but slight traces of it. The secondaries and 

 tertiaries of these immature birds are barred irregularly with 

 black spots ; and their legs, bills, and eyes are of a dull lead- 

 colour. In size, Flamingos vary greatly; the largest 1 have 

 measured was fully 6 feet 5 inches, while others (old red 

 birds) bai'ely reached 5 feet. 



As we advanced into the marisma, bird-life became even 

 more abundant. Besides the Ducks and Flamingos, flocks 

 of long-legged Stilts fairly whitened the water, and members 

 of the Heron tribe w^ere conspicuous, principally, I think. Buff- 

 backed Herons, Egrets, and Spoonbills. The latter, however, 

 were very wild and restless, and all my efforts to get within 

 reach failed. About the small mud-islands were immense 

 flights of Dunlins in full breeding-plumage, smaller ones com- 

 posed of Kentish Plovers and Lesser Ring-Dotterels mixed 

 with Redshanks and Pewits, the two latter paii'cd. Green- 

 shanks and Knots I did not meet with then, though a month 

 later (in May) I found both species, together with Whimbrels, 



