::::;:;::C TWO BIRD- LOVERS IN MEXICO M'^^ 



these birds we should not have known it, so change- 

 able were their feathers under the rays of the early 

 morning- sun. All that was lacking was for them to 

 perform their wing-dance, such as Hudson describes 

 in the case of a South American species. This was 

 denied us, but they had a way of raising first one wing 

 and then the other straight up, showing plainly the 

 horny spur at the bend of the wing. This action was 

 as graceful as it was inexplicable. The long thin toes 

 and claws showed how easily they could pick their way 

 over the floating lily-pads. The conspicuous shield of 

 orange skin spread out upon the forehead was another 

 bizarre touch in the appearance of these strange birds. 

 When at last they sprang into the air for a short flight, 

 each wing gave forth flash after flash of rich yellow ; 

 and by this characteristic we were always able to detect 

 the presence of this species, even among a hundred 

 other birds. 



The roar of wing's was like a hio-h wind as we raised 

 our heads above the surrounding reeds. Scores of birds, 

 whose proximity we had never suspected, hurled them- 

 selves into water and air. The lake was churned into 

 a foam as the hundreds of webbed feet thrashed its 

 surface, and a sweet, shrill chorus of peets ! sweets ! 

 arose from the cloud of shore-birds. The yellow wing- 

 quills of the jacanas glistened in the sunlight as they 

 wheeled outward ; the wing speculums of the ducks 

 flashed like mirrors. Yet with all the uproar and 



«4. 80 h 



