POSITION OF FLAMINGO 
particular as are some birds. A late President of the 
Society, the Earl of Derby, recorded that in 1843 a black 
swan bred with a common European swan, and produced 
parti-coloured offspring. Finally, its advantages as an 
addition to our ornamental water-fowl is not lessened by 
its comparative longevity. It has been stated to live in 
captivity for no less than fifteen years, plus a consider- 
able number of months. There is not the least doubt 
that the reader of these lines will find himself able to 
examine more than one black swan in the Society’s 
Gardens at any time. 
FLAMINGOES 
Although no one would be likely to confuse the 
flamingo with any other bird, it may be just as well to 
set down definitely the various features by which it is to 
be separated from birds in general. Its neck is long and 
the legs are long. The bill has lamellated edges as in 
ducks, but the lower half of the bill is heavier than the 
upper part, and the whole bill is bent in the middle at 
right angles. The three front toes are webbed ; the big 
toe is quite small and useless as a toe. As to whether 
the flamingo is a long-legged duck or a duck-billed stork 
opinions differ. Professor Huxley called its group by 
the non-compromising name of Amphimorphe, implying 
a midway position, in which safe mediocrity we shall 
leave it. It seems to be clear that when an animal gets 
long legs it has also to have a long neck, or else—like the 
elephant—a trunk: for otherwise it cannot reach the 
ground. This seems almost an unnecessary pair of 
changes, the resultant being merely a doubling, as it 
were, of the original condition. It is almost like speak- 
_ Ing of one half as two-fourths. The length of neck in 
birds, it may be remarked, is not, like that of mammals, 
accomplished without increase of the neck vertebre. 
The flamingo has more neck vertebre than a sparrow. 
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