THE CRANE KIND. 



desert regions, the flamingos live in a state 

 of society, and under a better polity than any 

 other of the feathered creation. 



When the Europeans first came to Ameri- 

 ca, and coasted down along the African shores, 

 they found the flamingos on several shores, 

 on either continent, gentle, and no way dis- 

 trustful of mankind." They had long been 

 used to security, in the extensive solitudes 

 they had chosen ; and knew no enemies but 

 those they could very well evade or oppose. 

 The Negroes and the native Americans were 

 possessed but of few destructive arts for kill- 

 ing them at a distance; and when the bird 

 perceived the arrow, it well knew how to 

 avoid it. But it was otherwise when the Eu- 

 ropeans first came among them : the sailors, 

 not considering that the dread of fire-arms 

 was totally unknown in that part of the world, 



gave the flamingo the character of a foolish 

 ird, that suffered itself to be approached and 

 shot at. When the fowler had killed one, 

 the rest of the flock, far from attempting to fly, 

 only regarded the fall of their companion in 

 a kind of fixed astonishment; another and 

 another shot was discharged ; and thus the 

 fowler often levelled the whole flock, before 

 one of them began to think of escaping. 



But at present it is very different in that 

 part of the world : and the flamingo is not only 

 one of the scarcest, but of the shyest birds in 

 the world, and the most difficult of approach. 

 They chiefly keep near the most deserted 

 and inhospitable shores; near salt-water lakes 

 and swampy islands. They come down to 

 the banks of rivers by day ; and often retire 

 to the inland mountainous parts of the coun- 

 try at the approach of night. W r hen seen by 

 mariners in the day, they always appear 

 drawn up in a long close line of two or three 

 hundred together; and, as Dampier tells us, 

 present, at the distance of half a mile, the 

 exact representation of a long brick wall. 

 Their rank, however, is broken when they 

 seek for food ; but they always appoint one 

 of the number as a watch, whose only em- 

 ployment is to observe and give notice of dan- 

 ger, while the rest are feeding. As soon as 

 this trusty centinel perceives the remotest ap- 

 pearance of danger, he gives a loud scream, 



Albirrs New History of Birds. 



with a voice as shrill as a trumpet, and in- 

 stantly the whole cohort are upon the wing. 

 They feed in silence; but, upon this occa- 

 sion, all the flock are in one chorus, and fill 

 the air with intolerable screamings. 



From this it appears, that the flamingos are 

 ver> difficult to be approached at present, 

 and that they avoid mankind with the most 

 cautious timidity ; however, it is not from any 

 antipathy to man that they shun his society, 

 for in some villages, PS we are assured by 

 Labat, along the coasts of Africa, the flamin- 

 gos come in great numbers to make their re- 

 sidence among the natives. There they as- 

 semble by thousands, perched on the trees, 

 within and about the village ; and are so very 

 clamorous, that the sound is heard at near 

 a mile's distance. The Negroes are fond of 

 their company ; and consider their society as 

 a gift of Heaven, as a protection from acci- 

 dental evils. The French, who are admit- 

 ted to this part of the coast, cannot, without 

 some degree of discontent, see such a quan- 

 tity of game untouched, and rendered useless 

 by the superstition of the natives: they now 

 and then privately shoot some of them, wlirn 

 at a convenient distance from the village, and 

 hide them in the long grass, if they perceive 

 any of the Negroes approaching; for they 

 would probably stand a chance of being ill 

 used, if the blacks discovered their sacred 

 birds thus unmercifully treated. 



Sometimes, in their wild state, they are shot 

 by mariners; and their young, which run ex- 

 cessively fast, are often taken. Labat has 

 frequently taken them with nets, properly ex- 

 tended round the places they breed in. When 

 their long legs are entangled in the meshes, 

 they are then unqualified to make their es- 

 cape: but they still continue to combat with 

 their destroyer; and the old ones, though 

 seized by the head, will scratch with their 

 claws; and these, though seemingly inoffen- 

 sive, very often do mischief. When they are 

 fairly disengaged from the net, they neverthe- 

 less preserve their natural ferocity ; they re- 

 fuse all nourishment; they peck, and com- 

 bat with their claws, at every opportunity. 

 The fowler is, therefore, under a necessity 

 of destroying them, when taken; as they 

 would only pine and die, if left to themselves 

 in captivity. 



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