EXPLANATORY INDEX. 409 



standing on one leg, which is kept perfectly straight, while 

 the neck lies in folds upon the shoulder, with the head nestling 

 among the feathers. 



This position of the head during sleep or illness is universal 

 among birds, and is popularly called " putting the head under 

 the wing." How such a phrase could have been invented or 

 perpetuated is really wonderful, as any one who has kept 

 poultry or pet birds of any kind must have noticed that the 



head is not hidden under the wing, but rests among the 

 plumage of the shoulders. So, we must bid farewell to our 

 pretty nursery rhyme : 



" The north wind doth blow, 

 And we shall have snow, 

 And what will poor Robin do then, 

 Poor thing ? 



He will sit in a barn 

 To keep himself warm, 

 And hide his head under his wing, 

 Poor thing ! " 



During life the beak of the Flamingo is pinkish yellow at 

 the base, becoming black at the tip. After death, however, 

 although the tip retains its blackness, it loses its polish, 

 and fades into dingy yellowish brown. Similarly, the legs, 

 which are red in life, become brown at death, and the only 

 mode of restoring these colours has been by employing paint, 

 which has really a ghastly appearance. I have not had the 

 opportunity of treating the beak of a Flamingo as Waterton 

 managed to colour the beak of a toucan, but I have little 

 doubt that the process would be as effectual with one bird as 

 it has been with the other. 



