84 The Naturalist in La Plata, 
fired at. I have frequently walked quite openly to 
within twenty-five or thirty yards of a flock of 
flamingoes without alarming them. This, however, 
was when they were in the water, or on the opposite 
side of a stream. Having no experience of guns, 
they fancied themselves secure as long as a strip of 
water separated them from the approaching object. 
When standing on dry land they would not allow 
so near an approach. Sparrows in England are 
very much tamer than the sparrows I have observed 
in desert places, where they seldom see a human 
being. JN^evertheless young sparrows in England 
are very much tamer than old birds, as anyone may 
see for himself. During the past summer, while 
living near Kew Gardens, I watched the sparrows a 
great deal, and fed forty or fifty of them every day 
from a back window. The bread and seed was 
throv/n on to a low roof just outside the window, and 
I noticed that the young birds ■when first able to fly 
were always brought by the parents to this feeding 
place, and that after two or three visits they would 
begin to come of their own accord. At such times 
they would venture quite close to me, showing as 
little suspicion as young chickens. The adults, 
however, although so much less shy than birds of 
other species, were extremely suspicious, snatching 
up the bread and flying away ; or, if they remained, 
hopping about in a startled manner, craning their 
necks to view me, and making so many gestures 
and motions, and little chirps of alarm, that presently 
the young would become infected with fear. The 
lesson was taught them in a surprisingly short 
time ; their suspicion was seen to increase day by 
