458 
NOTES, ETC. 
mouth ; the flamingo then bends its long neck over the gaping 
cariama and pours this fluid into the mouth, and as frequently 
on the back of the cariama. Having seen this repeatedly I took 
an opportunity of obtaining a portion of this fluid, and submit- 
ted it to the examination of Dr. Murie. We placed it under the 
microsco]3e and found it composed of little else than blood ; in 
fact the red blood-corpuscles are wonderfully abundant in the 
otherwise clear and almost transparent glutinous fluid. That 
this does not proceed from any disease or injury done to the 
flamingo, nor arise from or is produced by any portion or part of 
the food taken by them, I am perfectly certain, for the birds are 
in the most vigorous health and condition ; but I believe that 
it is an attempt to supply food to the cariamas, just as the 
hedge-sparrow and other birds supply food to the young cuckoo ; 
and I have no doubt if a careful observer had the opportunity 
of Avatching the flamingoes on their breeding-ground, he would 
find that this is the mode of feeding their young ; no doubt other 
food is also pro\ ided, but most likely mixed with this secretion. 
I think it highly probable that this habit was noticed in ancient 
Egypt, and, by the confusion of names in translation, the pelican 
was supposed to be the bird intended ; in fact I have heard that 
the representation (which I am very anxious to see) is much 
more like a flamingo than a pelican. Again, a flamingo is much 
more a bird of the wilderness than the pelican, seeing that the 
pelican requires a good supply of fish, while the flamingo can 
live and does well upon very small insects, seeds, &c., and is 
found in places in which the pelican would starve." 
