182 THE SNIPE. 



with men, and therefore did not suspect any harm 

 from them. If one of their number was shot down, 

 the rest of the flock, instead of flying away, looked at 

 their fallen companion with a kind of stupid astonish- 

 ment, probably having never seen the like before. 

 But these poor birds soon learned by sorrowful expe- 

 rience, that men are not to be trusted, and at the pres- 

 ent day, no animal is more shy, or watchful of their ap- 

 proach, than the Flamingo. When a flock of them are 

 feeding, they take care to set a watch, which shall be 

 ready to give warning, when any danger comes near. 

 If the guard discover any thing uncommon, they utter 

 a loud scream, which sounds like a trumpet, and on 

 hearing this, the whole flock are instantly on the wing. 

 The nest of this bird is of a very singular construc- 

 tion. It is formed of mud, in the shape of a little hill, 

 with a cavity in the top. This hill is made so high, 

 that when the bird is sitting on her eggs, she can let 

 her legs fall down over the side, instead of placing them 

 under her, like other birds. In this manner she sits 

 with her legs at full length on one side of her nest. 

 Sometimes, it is said, she saves herself the trouble of 

 building a nest, by finding a hollow near the edge of 

 some rock, where she lays her eggs, and lets her legs 

 hang over the side, while she sits on them. 



THE SNIPE. 



This tribe of birds have long legs, and long bills, 



their necks being of moderate length. They are much 



smaller than the cranes and hercns. Some of them 



