Flamingoes' Nests 181 



It is possible that the height of Flamingoes' nests, like that of the mud 

 chimneys to the burrows of fiddler crabs, may depend upon the amount of 

 rise and fall in the neighboring waters. This is a point to be ascertained by 

 subsequent observation. 



Flamingoes are wonderful birds. Their brilliant coloring and large size, 

 habit of perching and flying in files, and the openness of the country which 

 they inhabit, all combine to make a flock of Flamingoes one of the most 

 remarkable sights in bird -life. Indeed, so far as my experience goes, it is 

 the most remarkable sight in bird-life. 



They are very shy and can be approached closely only when they are 

 unaware of your presence. Attempts to use a telephoto lens in photo- 

 graphing birds about two hundred yards away failed because of the force of 

 the trade- winds over the mangrove flats. Even at this distance the birds 

 are large enough to make a strip of glowing color, in strong contrast to the 

 blue water before, and the green mangroves behind them. This is near 

 their danger line, and if one attempts to approach more closely without 

 cover there is a sinuous movement along the whole line as the long, slen- 

 der necks are raised and the birds regard the cause of their alarm. Soon a 

 murmur of goose-like honkings comes to one's ear; then the birds begin, in 

 slow and stately fashion, to move away step by step, and if their fears are not 

 allayed the leader will soon spring into the air and, followed by other mem- 

 bers of the flock, stretch his long neck and legs to the utmost and begin a 

 flight which usually takes them beyond one's view. As the birds raise 

 their wings displaying the brighter feathers below, the effect is superb be- 

 yond description, the motion showing their plumage to the best possible 

 advantage. 



It is surprising how far, under the proper light conditions, even a small 

 flock of Flamingoes may be seen. Long after one can distinguish the in- 

 dividual in the waving, undulating line of birds, they show pink against the 

 sky like a rapidly moving wisp of cloud which finally dissolves in space. 



PART OF A FLOCK CONTAINING THIRTY-SEVEN FLAMINGOES 

 Photographed with a 14-inch lens at a distance of about 2^0 yards. Enlarged 4 diameters 



