THE FLAMINGO 165 



feeding they get here it is surprising they still keep 

 to these waters in the numbers they do. At a 

 town called Matariya I visited a great local bird- 

 dealer, one Angelino Tedeschi. His place was 

 on the outskirts of the town, and was a collection 

 of tumble-down shanties made of straw, matting, 

 and boards. Behind his own dwelling, which was 

 literally worse than any Irish cabin, were three 

 enclosures made of tall reeds and split palm 

 branches about eight feet high, with more open 

 lattice-work on the top ; in these enclosures were 

 fully fifty to sixty Flamingoes. I walked right in, 

 and the birds did not stampede or dash themselves 

 about, yet Angelino said they had not long been 

 caught. They were all in surprisingly good 

 condition, considering their numbers and cramped 

 space. A door at one end was opened and they 

 filed out into the adjoining enclosure to have their 

 bath — a very dirty, muddy hole in the sodden 

 ground, but they seemed to enjoy it ; one after the 

 other, and sometimes two or three at a time, all 

 went in, and drank and splashed about, trumpet- 

 ing a little, and then they were driven back. I 

 bought a particularly brilliant-coloured one which 

 had died that day, for the price the man asked, 

 three shillings, which seemed to me very cheap, as 



