36 
BIRDS OF THE BAHAMA ISLANDS. 
Climbing into the wagon, we were borne slowly along over a smooth 
road, which wound in and out through a labyrinth of salt-ponds, 
dotted here and there by small windmills, of a very primitive pattern, 
which are used in pumping water in and out of the ponds, some- 
times taking a week to do what a small donkey-engine would accom- 
plish in a few hours. 
The road was quite good, and on the way we had a fine view of 
the country, which, in some places, extends in an unbroken prairie 
for miles. In such places, we observed numbers of wild asses. 
These pretty little creatures stood and gazed timidly at us as we 
passed, but the moment we made a movement towards them, away 
they went like the wind. One who has never seen the ass in 
its wild state, cannot appreciate the grace and beauty of these 
pretty little animals. Cattle and horses are also abundant on 
the island, in a wild state, and offer excellent sport. They are 
descendants of domestic animals, brought to the island many 
years ago. 
The ride to the lake occupied several hours, and we were 
continually annoyed by myriads of mosquitoes and other insects. 
The road was covered by an immense quantity of land -crabs, 
most of them small, which hurriedly ran out of the way as we 
approached. 
We found the lake, which is some twelve miles in extent, exceed- 
ingly shallow, rarely exceeding four feet in depth. Far out in the 
shallow water were several large flocks of Flamingoes, their scarlet 
plumage blazing brightly in the light of the morning sun. Pelicans 
