THE FLAMINGO. 



the soft substances on which it preys, using the upper mandible 

 as a sort of spoon. This Avould certainly be inconvenient, if 

 not impossible, to other birds ; but not to the Flamingo, owing 

 to its remarkably long, slender, and flexible neck. A still 

 greater inconvenience would ensue, if it were under the 

 necessity of sitting on its nest, like other birds ; for it would 

 then be utterly impossible to dispose of its long, stilted, 

 disproportioned legs. Nature has, however, met the difficulty, 

 and taught it how to make a nest exactly suited to its form 

 and length of leg. It is made of mud, in the shape of a 



Nest of the Flamingo. 



hillock, with a cavity on the top where the eggs are laid ; and 

 the height of the hillock is such, that she can sit as comfort- 

 ably on her nest as a horseman does on his saddle, leaving her 

 legs to hang dangling down at full length on either side. 



We have alluded to the bright pink and scarlet colours of 

 the Flamingoes, which give them a soldier-like appearance, in 

 addition to further military habits they seem very generally to 

 adopt. Not only do they always assemble in flocks, but they 

 form in long lines of regular rank and file, as well for the 

 purpose of fishing, as when they repose on the strand. Still 

 further: after the manner of ' experienced soldiers, they post 



