204 



THE MUSEUM. 



posit &nd from 2.00 to 2.25 x 3.10 to 

 3. 50 inches in dimensions." 



The illustrations we see in various 

 books, of a nest as if built by a mason 

 with a gradual, systematic taper from 

 bottom to top and from three to four 

 feet high, with the bird astride with 

 dangilng legs is too absurd a cariaca- 

 ture for ine to indulge in. 



Sir Henry Blake describes the nest 

 as being built on mud and about eight 

 inches in length and the bird sitting 

 on their nest with their long red legs 

 doubled under them. 



Mr. Maynard also tells us (natural- 

 ists in Florida) of a breeding "place in 

 the Bahamas where among hundreds 

 of setting birds not one had their legs 

 hanging down. 



But, be that as it may, I never met 

 the Flamingo again, except in Zoolog- 

 ical gardens, where the birds have al- 

 ways seemed heart-broken and des- 

 pondent. I do not like caged birds 

 anyway and perhaps they were happy 

 and contented and it was only my im- 

 agination that caused them to appear 

 so to me. 



Further Notes on the Nesting 



Habits of the American 



Flamingo. 



By Abel Chapman in The Ibis. 



The following notes on the Flamin- 

 go were taken in the vicinity of Anda- 

 lucia. Southern Spain, as the writer 

 spent two springs on which province, 

 from its geographical position to Eu- 

 rope and Asia, as well as from rich- 

 ness and great variety of its natural 

 features is probably unsurpassed, as 

 regards Avifauna, by any other similar 

 extent of ground in Europe. 



"To return to the Flamingoes: On 

 examining nearly all the different 



herds there was an obvious dissimilar- 

 ity in the appearance of the different 

 groups; one or two in particular seem- 

 ed so much denser than others; each 

 narrow white line appeared at least 

 three times as thick, and in the cen- 

 ter looked as if the birds were literally 

 packed upon each other. Felipe sug- 

 gested that these birds must be at 

 their "pajarera" or breeding place: 

 and after a long ride through rather 

 deep water we found that this was 

 so. On our approach, the pe- 

 culiar appearance of the herd from a 

 distance, became clearly discernable; 

 many of the birds were reaching down 

 on a low mud island; some were stand- 

 ing on it, a)id others again were in the 

 water; thus the different elevations of 

 their bodies formed what had ap- 

 peared a triple or quadruple line." 



"On reaching the spot we found a 

 perfect mass of nests; the low mud 

 plateau was crowded with them as 

 thickly as the space permitted; these 

 nests had little or no height; some 

 were raised two or three inches, a few 

 might be five or six inches: but the 

 majority were merely circular bul- 

 warks of mud with the impression of 

 the bird's leg marked distinctly on it. 

 The general aspect ot the plateau was 

 not unlike a large table covered with 

 plates. In the center was a deep hole 

 of muddy water which from the goug- 

 ed appearance of its sides appeared to 

 be used as a reservoir for nest-making 

 materials." 



"Scattered all around this main col- 

 ony were numerous single nests rising 

 out of the water, and evidently piled 

 up from the bottom. Here and there 

 two or three or more of these were 

 joined together and "semi-detached"' 

 so to speak; these separate nests rose.' 



