Flamingoes' Nests 



i79 



and were doubtless occupied the preceding year. Some were placed among 

 young, others among fully grown mangroves, and one colony, probably- 

 inhabited in 1900, was situated on a sand-bar two hundred yards from the 

 nearest vegetation. All the colonies found contained at least several hun- 

 dred nests, and the one on the sand-bar, by actual count of a measured sec- 

 tion, was composed of 2,000 mud dwellings. What an amazing sight this 

 settlement must have presented when occupied, with the stately males, as 

 is their habit, standing on guard near their sitting mates! 



Flamingoes in small flocks containing from three or four to fifty individ- 

 uals were seen in the vicinity, but it remained for Mr. Bonhote's negro as- 

 sistant to discover the spot which had been selected by the birds for a nest- 

 ing site in 1902. Climbing a small palm, an extended view was had of the 

 surrounding lagoons, sand-bars and bush-grown limestone; and he soon ex- 



lpg^S9$BK^5S*S8S*>* 



COLONY OF ABOUT TWO THOUSAND FLAMINGO NESTS 

 A section of this colony is shown on the facing page 



claimed, "Oh, Mr. Bonhote, too much, too much Fillymingo!" Less than 

 a mile away, indeed, was a flock estimated to contain at least 700 of these 

 magnificent birds, which Mr. Bonhote approached so cautiously through 

 the thick growth of mangroves, that he was fairly among them before they 

 took wing. They had not then begun to build, but the open spaces among 

 the mangroves were closely dotted with nests (see photograph), which ap- 

 parently had been occupied the preceding year and in some of which old] 

 eggs were seen. Here, some days later, nests were found in the early 

 stages of their construction; but, to our great regret, circumstances com- 

 pelled us to leave before they were completed and we did not therefore see 

 the birds upon them. However, we learned some things regarding the 

 nesting habits of Flamingoes which, in view of our comparative igno- 

 rance of the ways of these birds at this season, it may be worth while 

 recording. 



In the first place, although the birds return to the same general locality- 

 year after year, they apparently use a nest only one season. This seemed) 

 proven by the nicely graduated series of groups of nests which we found,, 

 each one of which, beginning with those best preserved, seemed about a 



