440 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 



that before they are hatched 

 the water has disappeared, 

 leaving a burning plain 

 of sun-baked mud. On 

 the top of this nest 

 the parent sits with its 

 long neck neatly curled 

 away among the back- 

 feathers, with its long legs 

 doubled up, and projecting 

 behind her for some dis- 

 tance beyond the tail. 

 Until quite recently it was 

 believed that the bird incu- 

 bated its eggs b)' sitting 

 astride the nest, the length 

 of the legs forbidding any 

 other position : this has 

 now been proved beyond 

 cavil to be an entirel}' 

 erroneous opinion. 



The eggs, two in 



number, are pecuhar in that 



they are encased in a thick outer chalky coat, which on removal reveals a greenish-blue shell. 



The characteristic crooked beak of the adult is not at all apparent in the young bird, 



and only appears as it approaches maturit)'. 



The huge flocks in which these birds consort are graphically described by Mr. Abel 

 Chapman as follows: " In herds of 300 to 400, several of which are often in sight at once, 

 they stand feeding in the open water, all their heads under, greedily tearing up the grasses 

 and water-plants from the bottom. On approaching them, which can onl\' be done by extreme 

 caution, their silence is first 



Ph'Ao b] Char, 



Knight 



FLAMINGOES 



0/1 account of the yzvcin-lih tteck artd " itrainen " along the ed^a of the htak^ thac hird.i hai'e 

 bci-n rc\rardcd ui hng-loggcd members t>f the Duck Tribe, but they icem mote nearly related to the 

 Storks ' ' ' 



broken b)- the sentries, who 

 commence walking awa}' with 

 lowcroal^s; then hundreds of 

 necks rise at once to full 

 extent, e\'er_v bird gaggling 

 its loudest, as the)' walk 

 obliquely awa)-, looking back 

 o\'er their shoulders, as though 

 to take stock of the extent 

 of the danger. Pushing a 

 few )'ards forward, up the)- all 

 rise, and a more beautiful 

 sight cannot be imagined than 

 the simultaneous spreading of 

 the crimson wings, flashing 

 against the sky like a gleam 

 of rosy light. In many 

 respects these birds bear a 

 strong resemblance to geese. 

 Like them, flamingoes feed 

 by day; and great quantities 



/"lo'. I, n I' ;i„ / , / / \ 



EUROPEAN FLAMINGOES 



birds breed in the South of France and Spain 



The. 



