Il8 cassell's book of birds. 



water it also swims apparently without the slightest effort, and although its progress may be some- 

 what slower than that of the Short-legged Swimmers, it is evidently more enduring. Its flight, 

 when once it has raised itself out of the water in the manner above described, is light and tolerably 

 rapid, the quick strokes of its wings producing a noise not unlike that which accompanies the flight of 

 Ducks and Wild Geese, indeed, the sound made by the rising of a whole flock has been compared to 

 distant thunder. When fairly on the wing a flying Flamingo could not be mistaken for any other 

 bird, even by the most unpractised novice. Unlike the generality of long-necked birds, it stretches not 

 only its long legs, but its neck straight out, thus presenting an appearance of extraordinary length and 

 slenderness ; so that, with its narrow wings exactly in the centre, it assumes pretty much the shape of 

 a cross. When flying together in considerable numbers, the flock, as we have already said, arrange 

 themselves in regular phalanx, either in one long line, or in a wedge-shape like that of the letter V. 

 When descending from a great height, their flight assumes a spiral direction, but just before alighting 

 they sweep forward for a little distance over the water until they find a suitable spot whereon to settle. 

 The loud harsh voice of these birds somewhat resembles that of a Goose. The food of the Flamingo 

 consists principally of water-snails, worms, crustaceans and small fishes, but it by no means despises 

 vegetable substances, and in a state of captivity will eat boiled rice, corn, or soaked bread. Our 

 information concerning the breeding of these birds is not very satisfactory. Labat many years ago 

 gave a very strange description of their mode of incubation, which was subsequently contradicted by 

 Dampier ; and later writers have contented themselves with copying these accounts without ascertaining 

 their accuracy. Dampier informs us that " the Flamingoes build their nests where plenty of dirt is 

 procurable. This dirt they rake together by means of their feet, so as to form a hillock, which stands 

 like a little island, a foot and a half above the water, each hillock being of a conical shape, and having 

 a depression at the top, on which the nest is placed." Labat states that the hillocks are solid, as high 

 as the surface of the water, but that above this point they are hollowed like a basin, and that when 

 the birds lay or incubate their eggs, they place themselves upright, not upon the hillock, but close to 

 it, with their feet upon the ground, in such a manner, that leaning against the hillock they cover the 

 nest with their tail. Naumann in the strongest terms refuses to believe either of the above accounts, 

 and from our own observations on the living birds we ourselves quite acquiesce in the doubts he 

 expresses. It is true we have never seen a Flamingo actually engaged in incubating ; but at Mensala, 

 in Egypt, where we obtained a full-grown egg from the oviduct of a dead female, we procured the 

 following information concerning the mode of incubation. The Flamingo makes her nest in shallow 

 places in the water, or, as the Arabs assert, upon flat insular spots, overgrown with low vegetation. 

 In the first case the nest is a conical heap of mud scraped together by the feet of the bird, and raised 

 so high that its top is a foot and a half above the water. In the second case it consists of a mere 

 hollow trough, scooped out in the soil and lined with sedge, rushes, grass, and similar materials. The 

 number of eggs laid is generally two, occasionally three. Their shape is elongated, and their shell 

 smooth and of chalky whiteness. The bird when brooding most undoubtedly sits upon her eggs in 

 the usual manner, bending her legs beneath her, and lying flat upon the nest. The duration of 

 incubation is stated to be from thirty to thirty-two days. The young when hatched immediately 

 betake themselves to the water, and swim from the day of their birth. They soon learn to run, 

 but are not capable of flight till a lapse of several weeks. The chase after Flamingoes requires 

 considerable caution. In the day-time they are so timid that it is almost impossible to get within 

 gunshot of one of their numerous assemblages, seeing that while feeding they invariably station some 

 of the older members of the flock to warn them of the approach of danger. The Arabs informed us, 

 however, that they may be procured in considerable numbers by a very simple contrivance. The plan 

 adopted in Egypt is to suspend ordinary fishing-nets between two boats, and in this manner to sail 



