100 
THE FLAMINGO. 
emigrate in summer, on either side of the equator; in the 
southern hemisphere, visiting Brazil, Peru, Chili, and 
Buenos Ayres, on the shores of La Plata. It is also seen 
in Cayenne (where it is known by the name of Tococo, 
from the usual sound of its call), and in various islands of 
the West Indies. They breed in Cuba and the Bahamas, 
are not unfrequent at certain seasons on the coast of Florida, 
and sometimes solitary individuals are observed even in the 
Middle States; but in the Union generally, the species may 
be considered as rare. 
When seen at a distance, such is the brilliancy of their 
dress, and the elevation at which they stand, that they 
appear like a troop of soldiers, being arranged alongside of 
each other, in lines, while on the borders of rivers and 
estuaries near the sea, they assemble in search of their food, 
which consists chiefly of small fish, spawn, and aquatic 
insects. 
They collect their prey by plunging in the bill and part 
of the head ; and from time to time trample with their feet, 
to disturb the water, and raise it from the bottom. While 
the rest are thus employed in seeking their subsistence, one 
of them stands sentinel, and, on the first note of alarm, a 
kind of trumpet-call, he takes to wing, and the whole flock 
immediately follow. 
The Flamingo has the neck and legs in a greater dispro- 
portion than any other bird. The length from the end of 
the bill to that of the tail is four feet two or three inches ; 
