136 POPULAR OFFICIAL GUIDE. 
FLYING CAGE. 
able size, two hickories and an oak; and it contains a pool 
of water a hundred feet long, and shrubbery in abundance. 
The idea of a very large cage for herons and egrets, 1s not 
new, for there are in existence several other flying cages, 
somewhat smaller than this. The first was erected in the 
Rotterdam Zoological Garden by its Director, the late Dr. 
A. Von Bemmelin, whose experiment proved very successful. 
Others are at London and in Paris Jardin d’Acclimata- 
tion. 
The Flying Cage is the summer home of a mixed flock of 
such large and showy water birds as are most inclined to 
fly about within it, and afford students and the public an 
opportunity to study their movements and attitudes. Save 
for such allowances as must be made for accidents and 
epidemics, this enclosure will contain the following note- 
worthy species, along with others of less importance: 
The American Flamingo, (Phoenicopterus ruber), is, in 
appearance, a connecting link between the herons and 
ducks, resembling the former in the great length of its legs, 
and the latter in the duck-like bill and webbed feet. When 
the plumage of this species is perfect, it is of a beautiful 
searlet color throughout, excepting the primaries, which 
are black. In captivity, the color fades somewhat. This 
bird is found in the Bahama Islands and Cuba, but in Flor- 
ida, where once it was fairly numerous, it no longer exists. 
