334t HISTORY OF 



when taken, as they would only pine and die, if 

 left to themselves in captivity. The flesh of the 

 old ones is black and hard, though Dampier says, 

 well tasted ; that of the young ones is still better. 

 But, of all other delicacies, the flamingo's tongue 

 is the most celebrated. A dish of flamingos' 

 tongues, says our author, is a feast for an em- 

 peror. In fact, the Roman emperors considered 

 them as the highest luxury ; and we have an ac- 

 count of one of them, who procured fifteen hun- 

 dred flamingos' tongues to be served up in a 

 single dish. The tongue of this bird, which is so 

 much sought after, is a good deal larger than 

 that of any other bird whatever. The bill of the 

 flamingo is like a large black box, of an irregular 

 figure, and filled with a tongue which is black 

 and gristly; but what peculiar flavour it may 

 possess, I leave to be determined by such as un- 

 derstand good eating better than I do. It is pro- 

 bable, that the beauty and scarcity of the bird 

 might be the first inducements to studious glut- 

 tony to fix upon its tongue as meat for the table. 

 What Dampier says of the goodness of its flesh 

 cannot be so well relied on ; for Dampier was 

 often hungry, and thought any thing good that 

 could be eaten: he avers, indeed, with Labat, 

 that the flesh is black, tough, and fishy ; so that 

 we can hardly give him credit when he asserts, 

 that its flesh can be formed into a luxurious en- 

 tertainment. 



These birds, as was said, always go in flocks 

 together, and they move in ranks in the manner 

 of cranes. They are sometimes seen, at the 



