THE FLAMINGO — THE TAYLOR-BIRD. 323 



The Taylor-Bird, ( 7 ) too, left his leafy sew'd nest, 

 To pay his respects to the King of the West ; 



These birds are gregarious, and are occasionally tamed in 

 their native climates, and mingle with other poultry, but they 

 never thrive in such a state. They afford a fine down, equal 

 to swan's down ; flesh, by some persons, esteemed. 



The negroes of Africa hold this bird in superstitious venera- 

 tion ; hence they do not permit it to be destroyed, although, 

 from its numbers and its noise, it is extremely troublesome. It 

 feeds on shell-fish, aquatic insects, and the spawn offish. 



The Flamingo was well known to the ancients under the 

 name of Phoenicopterus ; its flesh was a dish among the luxu- 

 rious Romans ; Apicius is said by Pliny to have discovered 

 the exquisite relish of this bird's tongue, and a new method of 

 seasoning it ! 



" Evening came on : arising from the stream 

 Homeward the tall Flamingo wings his flight ; 

 And when he sails athwart the setting beam 

 His scarlet plumage glows with deeper light !" 



South ey's Curse of Kehama — the Separation. 



I take the present opportunity of expressing the great plea- 

 sure which the perusal of that highly imaginative and melodious 

 poem, the Curse of Kehama, has afforded me. 



The Chilensis, or Chilese-Flamingo, has the quill feathers 

 white ; bill covered with a reddish skin ; head subcrested ^ 

 five feet long from the bill to the claws. Inhabits Chili. 



( 7 ) Order, Passeres, (Linn.) Taylor-Bird. 



The Taylor-Bird, Taylor-Wren, Taylor-Warbler, Motacilla 

 Sutoria, (Linn.) or Sylvia Sutoria, as it is called by Dr. Latham, 

 one of the numerous genus Wareler, is a very small bird, 

 being only about three inches and a half in length, and weighs 

 only about, it is said, three sixteenths of an ounce ; the plu- 

 mage above is pale olive-yellow; chin and throat yellow; 



