D. P. INGRAHAM. 63 



accumulating for ages ; it is so soft that if a person should 

 jump overboard he would go into the 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. 



