9^ THECRANEKIND. 



varies ; its upper chap is fuppofed to be moveable. The legs and thighs 

 are not much thicker than a man's finger 3 about two feet eight inches 

 high ; its neck near three feet long. The feet are not furnifhed with 

 (harp claws, but feeble, and partly united by femi-membranes ; the bird 

 is never feen fwimming, its legs and thighs being fufficient for bearing 

 it into thofe depths where it feeks for prey. 



' This extraordinary bird is found in Italy, Spain, all over Africa, and 

 in America J wknders, but confines its wanderings to warm cliniates. 

 In America, or where molefted, they chiefly keep near deferted fhores, 

 near falt-water lakes and fwampy iflands. They come down to the 

 banks of rivers by day, and often retire to the mountainous parts at 

 night; in the day they appear drawn up in a long clofe line of two or 

 three hundred together ; and, as Dampier tells us, prefent, at the diftance 

 of half a mile, the exaft reprefentation of a regiment of foldiers, or a long 

 brick wall. Their rank is broken when they feek for food j but they 

 appoint a centinel, whofe duty is to give notice of danger, while the reft 

 feed. As foon as this trufty centinel perceives the remoteft appearance 

 of danger, he fcreams, with a voice loud and fhrill as a trumpet, and 

 inftantly the whole cohort are on the wing : they feed in filence ; but 

 now all the flock are in chorus, and fill the air with intolerable fcream- 

 ings. 



In Africa they aflemble by thoufands, perch on the trees within and 

 -about villages and dwellings, and are very clamorous; the found isi 

 heard at near a mile diftance. The Negroes confider their fociety as a 

 gift of Heaven. In fome places they are (hot by mariners; their young, 

 ■which run excefTively faft, are often taken with nets. When their long 

 legs are entangled in the melhes, they cannot efcape ; but they continue 

 to combat; and the old ones, though feized by the head, will fcratch with 

 their claws, and often do mifchief. Of all delicacies the flamingo's 

 tongue is the moft celebrated ; a feaft, fays Dampier, for an emperor! 

 In hOc, the Roman emperors thus confidered it; and we have an ac- 

 count of one, who procured fix hundred flamingos' tongues to compofe 

 a fingle di(h. This tongue is larger than that of other birds, is black 

 and oriftly ; a lump of fat at its root is much admired. 



Their cry founds like the word Tococo, from whence the Canadian 

 Indians have named them. In their flight they appear of as bright a 

 red, as a burning coal. Their manner of feeding is Angular: the bird 

 thrufts down its head, fo that the upper convex fide of the bill fliall only 



tourii 



