THE PELICAN. 289 
the bird, by a slight up-and-down movement of the head, 
raise up into its mouth a considerable quantity of red 
coloured fluid. As soon as the upper part of the throat 
and mouth becomes filled, it will drop or run down from 
the corners of the flamingo’s 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 
submitted it to the examination of Dr. Murie. We 
placed it under the microscope, and find 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 
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 watching the flamingoes on their breeding- 
ground, he would find that this is the mode of feeding 
their young: no doubt other food is also provided, 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 
