FLAMINGOES. 389 



gregarious in its habits, collecting in large flocks upon the sea- 

 coast, its bright red wings give these parties a close resemblance 

 to bodies of soldiers standing in line. The nest is a very curious 

 structure, being a small hill of mud, about a foot and a half high, 

 with a concavity in its summit. In this the female lays two or 

 three eggs, of about the size of those of a goose, which she hatches 

 by sitting astride upon the hillock. The young do not fly until 

 they have nearly attained their full growth, though they can run 

 very swiftly a few days after their exclusion from the egg. 



The typical species — 



The Red Flamingo {Phccnicopterus rube}-), is common on the American 

 continent and in the West Indies. They abound on the island of Cuba, more 

 especially on the southern side, either on its shores or where many islets at 

 some distance from the mainland afford them ample protection. In their flight 

 they resemble ibises, and they usually move in lines, with the neck and legs 

 fully extended, flapping the wings for twenty or thirty yards, and then sailing 

 smoothly over a like space. Before alighting, they generally fly in circles round 

 the place for several minutes, when their glowing tints become more con- 

 spicuous. They very rarely alight on the shore itself, unless during the breeding 

 season, but usually in the water and on shallow banks, whether of mud or sand, 

 from which, however, they often wade to the land. Their walk is stately and 

 slow, and their caution extreme, so that it is very difficult to approach them, 

 as their great height enables them to perceive and watch the movements of 

 their various enemies at a distance. When travelling over water, they rarely 

 fly at a greater distance than eight or ten yards from the surface; but when 

 passing over the land, no matter how short the distance, they mount to a con- 

 siderable elevation. During the heat of the day they remain in the water drawn 

 up in long lines, with sentinels on either side, who give warning of danger by 

 a trumpet-like call, something like the cry of the wild goose. It is stated that 

 they sleep on one leg, with the neck bent back, and their head under their 

 wing. They are said to swim well, with the port of swans. The red flamingo 

 builds upon the ground ; the nest is an irregular mass of earth dug in the salt- 

 ponds, and entirely surrounded by water ; it is scooped up from the immediate 

 vicinity to the height of two or three feet, and is hollow at the top : there is no 

 lining, nor anything but the bare earth. The number of eggs-is almost always 

 two ; the incubation is not known. The eggs are white, but on scraping the 

 shell it has a bluish tinge. The colour of the young is nearly white, and they 

 do not attain their full scarlet livery until two years old. Their habits are 

 well described by Montgomery in the following lines : 



" Flamingoes in their crimson tunics stalked 

 On stately legs, with far-exploring eye ; 

 Or fed and slept in regimental lines, 

 Watched by their sentinels, whose clarion screams 

 All in an instant waked the startled group, 

 That mounted like a glorious exhalation, 

 And vanished through the welkin far away." 



