84 The Naturalist in La Plata. 



fired at. I have frequently walked quite openly to 

 ■within twenty-five or thirty yards of a flock of 

 flamingoes without alarming them. This, however, 

 was when they were in the water, or on the opposite 

 side of a stream. Having no experience of guns, 

 they fancied themselves secure as long as a strip of 

 water separated them from the approaching object. 

 When standing on dry land they would not allow 

 so near an approach. Sparrows in England are 

 very much tamer than the sparrows I have observed 

 in desert places, where they seldom see a human 

 being. Nevertheless young sparrows in England 

 are very much tamer than old birds, as anyone may 

 see for himself. DuriDg the past summer, while 

 living near Kew Gardens, I watched the sparrows a 

 great deal, and fed forty or fifty of them every day 

 from a back window. The bread and seed was 

 thrown on to a low roof just outside the window, and 

 I noticed that the young birds when first able to fly 

 were always brought by the parents to this feeding 

 place, and that after two or three visits they would 

 begin to come of their own accord. At such times 

 they would venture quite close to me, showing as 

 little suspicion as young chickens. The adults, 

 however, although so much less shy than birds of 

 other species, were extremely suspicious, snatching 

 up the bread and flying away ; or, if they remained, 

 hopping about in a startled manner, craning their 

 necks to view me, and making so many gestures 

 and motions, and little chirps of alarm, that presently 

 the young would become infected with fear. The 

 lesson was taught them in a surprisingly short 

 time ; their suspicion was seen to increase day by 



