170 BAHAMA BIRD-LIFE 



which I recognized as a landmark we had reached from the 

 eastern side of the island in 1902. Though no chart showed 

 the route, it was evident, therefore, that Andros could here 

 be crossed from east to west. Still we continued and when 

 after a trying day's work Peter said we were "there," we 

 had no feeling of having arrived anywhere. All day we had 

 been following broad, shallow creeks, which, meeting other 

 creeks, widened at intervals into lagoons, while, on every 

 side, the country spread away into the low, flat swash, 

 neither land nor water and wholly worthless for everything 

 — except Flamingos. So, when Peter announced that our 

 journey was ended, we looked over this hopeless country in 

 search of a camp-site, to find that the narrow, somewhat 

 sandy shore of the creek was the only available place where 

 one might pitch a tent. At the moment, however, we were 

 more concerned about Flamingos than with the details of 

 camping. When for the second time I asked Peter, " But 

 where are the birds"?" he replied, "Dere dey are, sir," and 

 pointed across the swash to a thin pink line, distant at least 

 a mile, but showing plainly against the green of the man- 

 groves. Flamingos, surely; but were they nesting? We 

 lost no time in speculation but started at once to investigate. 

 Ten minutes wading through the mud and shallow water, 

 brought us so near the now much enlarged pink streak that, 

 with a glass, the birds could be seen unmistakably seated on 

 their conical nests, and with an utterly indescribable feeling 

 of exultation, we advanced rapidly to view at short range 

 this wonder of wonders in bird-life. 



At a distance of about three hundred yards, the wind 

 being from us, toward the birds, we first heard their honk- 

 ing notes of alarm, which increased to a wave of deep sound. 

 Soon the birds began to rise, standing on their nests, facing 

 the wind and waving their black, vermillion-lined wings. As 

 we came a little nearer, in stately fashion the birds began 

 to move; uniformly, like a great body of troops, they step- 

 ped slowly forward, pinions waving and trumpets sounding. 



