The sandy beaches of the lake were at places buried in windrows of pink and 

 white feathers; this at the edge of the blue and green scum-coated water made a striking 

 color picture 



in mid-lake soon began to drift back in our direction and we hurriedly con- 

 structed a rude blind of green boughs on the shore. Here I awaited their 

 return, camera in position, and within half an hour was surrounded by 

 acres of the beautiful creatures. The greater number of the birds proved 

 to be of the small, more brilliantly colored species of African flamingo, 

 Phmiicopterus minor, although a few of the larger species, Phoenicopterus 

 roseiis, were in small isolated flocks or scattered here and there among their 

 smaller relatives. 



Evidently flamingos spend the entire year at Lake Hannington. At 

 times however, small numbers of both species are said to be found at the 

 other lakes of the Rift Valley, Xakuro, Elementeita, Naivasha and Baringo. 



So greatly did the flamingos interest us in this January visit that we 

 returned to Hannington in May hoping to find them nesting, but we were 

 some six weeks too late. The young birds in their gray plumage were 

 abundant and traces of the nests were to be seen at the north end of the lake. 



Lake Hannington was named after Bishop Hannington, the pioneer mis- 

 sionary who was killed by order of Mwanga, the king of Uganda. The body 

 of Bishop Hannington lies in tli(> churchyard of the cathedral iit Kampala. 



308 



