250 THE WORLD OF ANIMAL LIFE 



necks are, and how they twist and turn them about! Now they 

 have caught sight of us, and are rising into the air. 



These are Flamingoes, and those earthen hillocks on which 

 many of them seem to have been resting are their nests. Let us 

 wait quietly until they settle down again, and then learn what we 

 can of their habits. Seeing that we do not move, or attempt to 

 interfere with them, they soon begin to descend, and in a few 

 minutes are wading about as before. Their long legs enable them 

 to walk where they will, for the water is not deep. Some of them 

 seem to be looking about for food. 



But why is one bird at each end of the line standing quite still, 

 and not moving about like the rest.' And why do so many of 

 them plunge their heads down into the water, and appear to be 

 splashing about in the mud at the bottom.' 



These questions are easily answered. The solitary bird at 

 either end of the long line is a sentinel, who is keeping a careful 

 watch for the approach of danger. If he notices any sign of an 

 enemy, he will at once alarm the rest of the flock, and all the birds 

 will fly away. 



Those who have their heads plunged beneath the water are 

 engaged in feeding. Their beaks are formed like that of the duck, 

 with a number of small channels upon either side. When they 

 have taken a beakful of mud and water, these channels act as a 

 filter, allowing the mud to be washed out, while all the tiny 

 creatures that were living in it are retained and swallowed. While 

 a flamingo is thus engaged, its head is thrust between its legs and 

 is therefore upside down, so that the upper mandible can scoop 

 up the mud. 



Standing among the rest are some flamingoes that are busy, 

 not in feeding, but in preening their plumage. So flexible are 

 their necks, that the beak can reach to any part of the body. 

 The long legs, too, are more under control than we should have 

 imagined, for here is a bird scratching its head with its claws, as 

 easily as if it were a robin or a sparrow. 



The nests are little mounds of mud and earth standing about 

 eighteen inches above the level of the surrounding water, with 

 a shallow depression at the top to contain the eggs. When the 



