179 The pearl of the antilles? 



flamingos might have nested. The ground was well elevated and 

 grown to buttonwood (Conocarpus) , with many wild orchids that 

 appeared to belong to the genus Epidendrum. In an open place 

 we came upon three boys, charcoal burners by trade, dipping water 

 from a stinking mudhole among some exposed rocks. They told 

 us that two months before, in mid-June, there had been muchos 

 flamencos in the salina nearby. Apparently they were preparing 

 to nest, but some men came with guns and shot several birds. 

 After which the flock left and did not return. 



Later in the day, back at Jeibara, we had scarcely stepped out 

 of our boat when another craft arrived. There were three men on 

 board and they had a dead flamingo lying in the bow. It seems 

 that they were salt rakers, and today, having nothing to do, they 

 had gone caiman hunting. But their luck was very bad and all 

 they had shot was this one mucho delgado creature. It would 

 hardly make a meal for the three of them. Nevertheless, it was 

 quickly skinned, cleaned, and thrown into a pot. As I sat around 

 the fire sharing Felipe's excellent coffee and strong Cuban cigarros 

 I staunchly refused to taste the flamingo I could hear the ever- 

 present mongrel dogs growling over the severed head and feet of 

 the poor bird. And this was taking place within the boundaries of 

 the National Flamingo Refuge, established some years before by 

 presidential decree! 



We later visited the Laguna de Amarillo, so named, no doubt, 

 from the heavy growth of algae, and which Arturo and I finally 

 located after our so-called "guide," Nicolas, had become com- 

 pletely lost. We saw nothing to indicate that flamingos had been 

 there within recent weeks. Next day, leaving the perfectly useless 

 Nicolas behind, we went by boat to the region around Covarrubia, 

 a fishing settlement. There we talked with a number of rough- 

 looking characters and they had the usual report of many flamingos 

 earlier in the season, but all had moved on. As we were talking 

 I noted a severed flamingo head and a partial skin among the 

 debris on the beach. 



Back at camp we found that the rest of our party, with all day 

 to themselves, had decided to make the most of their oppor- 

 tunities. Our cook lay stretched out full length on the beach, his 



