206



My Birds at Brinsop Court.



in the dark, the Flamingos occasionally pinching' every part of one’s

face, including one’s nose, we landed them for the night in a large

barn.


And next morning the great doors were flung open, and the

corps de ballet stepped out. Oh joy! There was a lovely pond

within a few yards, the mud teeming with water-shrimps, the water

fresh and wind-swept. The contrast after Olympia ! From Olympia

to Elysium ! They all promptly sat down in the water with their

bodies all but immersed, their long necks twisting and writhing

like so many blush-pink snakes. The Red Flamingo withdrew,

haughtily, its nose turned very much down, for a Flamingo

cannot do the opposite. Never had it seen such faded-out things..

But the Europeans were too busy with their ablutions to study

colour, and if they have done so by now they have probably come

to the conclusion that to dress in flaring' shrimp-red is vulgar.

There is nothing left to the imagination, whereas in their case

surprises come when they lift their skirts, as it were, and flash out

rich rosy pink on their wing's. On still sunny mornings, instead of

nine Flamingos, their number is exactly doubled; upside down are

nine more, so clear and bright are their reflections.


Occasionally there are debates and bickerings, especially

when the Red one claims to be King. Outstretched necks

and long pointed wing feathers raised on the back, looking' un¬

commonly like a Field Marshal’s plumes. At other times, siestas ;

when they stand with the water just touching their breasts, their

necks twisted round, their beaks tucked amongst the feathers of the

back. Then they resemble large water vessels of pale pink enamel,

the twisted neck forming a very distinct handle.


They possibly have their jokes, for one hears guffaws of what

might be laughter, “ Haw, haw,” in guttural tones. And when

feeding they mark time in the mud, the long necks stretched down,

the head immersed, searching for the water insects which they

disturb with their pink w r ebbed feet. There is one part of the pond

which is out of their depth, and until they discovered this they

would swim across it, looking like ungainly swans, the rose-pink

knee joints working up and down beyond the tails.


{To be continued .)



