: Song Birds and Water Fowl 
loquacious, gushing, and demonstrative than 
their neighbors, cannot, on that account, be 
said to have less strength of sentiment and 
affection. 
Standing apart, in most singular contrast to 
these species, but scientifically in the same 
order, is the flamingo of Florida, one of the 
most brilliant of all water fowl—intense scarlet 
from top to toe, except a few black feathers in 
the wing—extremely attenuated, standing four 
feet high, and often on the wing—a sort of air- 
line connection between the marsh and the swim- 
ming groups. Scientists must have smiled when 
they voted to group the dumpy duck with this 
tall and spindling creature, which stands in the 
same relation to the remainder of the group as 
a church-steeple to a cottage. Audubon once 
made a trip to Florida chiefly to study these 
gorgeous specimens. His view of a flock in 
the air, sailing with broadly spreading wings, 
must have been as unique as it was beautiful, as 
of a group of crimson clouds dappling the sky 
at sunset. And, by the way, one must have 
the greatest admiration for the arduous and in- 
defatigable researches of this wonderful natural- 
ist. The extremities into which he was some- 
times brought, in his long wanderings through 
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