D. P. INGRAHAM. 63 
accumulating for ages; it is so soft that if a person should 
jump overboard he would go intothe mud to the shoulders, 
The bird is web-footed to enable it to walk in this soft mud, 
and not to swim. I have never seen one alight on the water, 
or take to the water beyond its wading depth, unless 
wounded. But they can rise from deep water, as I have 
seen a wounded bird do, when he was able to fly but a few 
hundred yards. 
We reached the little bay an hour or two before sunset; 
but the water was so low that we struck bottom and were 
compelled to anchor for the night. At daylight the follow- 
ing morning we weighed anchor, and after proceeding a few 
hundred yards came in sight of a flock of seven beautiful 
Flamingoes—the first that I had ever seen alive. They 
were feeding not far from a small island that sheltered them 
from view from our anchorage. We at once downed sail 
and attempted to reach the island with our small boat, which 
did not require more than five inches of water; but we found 
more mud than water, and were compelled to give it up and 
wait the incoming tide. A little before night, when we 
deemed there was water enough, we started for the island, 
and after reaching it covered our little boat with the boughs 
of trees. At dusk we moved out around the point of the 
island. I had taken my place in the bow of the boat with 
my gun, and my man took an oar at the stern to scull the 
boat toward the game. The tide was high; the birds were 
feeding toward the island, and did not seem to notice us 
until we were within about 125 yards of them, when one 
bird raised his head, gave his peculiar note of alarm, and 
took wing. But before the others could rise I gave them a 
shot which resulted in the best bird in the flock being left 
on the water. It proved to be an elegant male in perfect 
plumage, and is now in the museum of one of our eastern 
colleges. We did other work for three or four days, hoping 
that the birds would return to the bay; but as they failed 
to do so, we continued our course southward. 
