Before passing on to the sixth family of Wading or Long-legged Birds, we
must notice two curious types that seem to form distinct classes. The
Flamingoes, which are certainly Waders and yet with webbed feet like the
Swimmers, and the curious Frigate Bird about which so many strange tales
are told of its wonderful power of flight.
The Flamingo is one of the most curious of the tribe of Waders. The most
fanciful imagination would fail to picture to itself anything more odd
than the conformation of this Bird. It has extremely long legs,
supporting quite a small body; a neck corresponding in length with the
leg, a rather long bill, sharply curved and apparently broken in the
middle. Add to this a plumage of rose-color, warming into a bright red
on the back and wings, and we have an object of both wonder and
admiration.
Ancient writers, struck by the vivid coloring of its wings, called this
the Fiery-winged Bird; this term was designated in France by the word
flambert, or flamant; from which came the name Flamingo, by which the
Bird is popularly known.
Flamingoes inhabit the margins of lakes and ponds, more rarely the
seashore. They feed on Worms, Molluscs, and the Spawn of Fishes, which
they capture by the following stratagem: Placing their long neck and
head in such a position that the upper mandible of their bill is the
lowest, they stir the mud about in every direction, thus easily succeed
in disturbing the small Fish which have settled in it, and capturing
them while blended with the thick sediment. They also use their feet for
working the ooze and detaching the fry and spawn, to which they are
partial.
They love company, and live in flocks, which are subject to strict
discipline. When they are fishing they draw themselves up into long,
straight and regular files, protected by sentinels whose office it is to
give a signal of alarm on the approach of danger. If any cause for
uneasiness should arise, the scout-birds give a piercing cry, not unlike
the note of a trumpet, and the whole flock immediately wing their way to
a place of safety.
Flamingoes are very shy and timid, and shun all attempts of Man to
approach them; the vicinity of animals, however, they disregard. Any one
who is acquainted with this fact can take advantage of it, for, by
dressing himself up in the skin of a Horse or an Ox, he can effect
immense slaughter among these beautiful creatures. Thus disguised, the
sportsman may shoot them down at his ease, so long as their enemy is
unrecognized; the noise of the gun only stupefies them, so that they
refuse to leave, although their companions are dropping down dead around
them.
Some authors have asserted that the Flamingo makes use of its long neck
as a third leg, walking with its head resting on the ground like a foot.
The fact that has doubtless given rise to this supposition is the
position of the neck, necessitated by its peculiar method of seeking
food. We are told about a Flamingo reared in captivity which, being
accidentally deprived of one of its limbs, found out a remedy for its
infirmity by walking on one leg and helping itself along by means of its
bill, using the latter as a crutch; the master of the Bird, noticing
this, fitted it with a wooden leg, which it used with the greatest
success. But this story, which applies very well to a domesticated Bird
which was maimed, and consequently under peculiar conditions, does not
prove that this is a common practice.
The Flamingo makes itself a nest which is as original as its own
personal appearance. It consists of a truncated cone, about twenty
inches in height, and formed of mud dried in the sun. At the summit of
this little hillock it hollows out a shallow cavity, in which two eggs
are laid, rather elongated in shape, and of a dead white color. When
hatching the eggs, the Flamingo sits astride on this novel imitation of
a throne, with her legs hanging down on each side. The young ones run
about very soon after they are hatched, but it is some time before they
are able to fly—not, indeed, until they are clothed with their full
plumage. At two years old they assume the more brilliant colors of the
adult Bird.
The Flamingo is found in all the warm and temperate regions of the
globe. On certain islands off the American continent they exist in such
numbers that navigators have given them the name of the Flamingo
Islands. In the Old World they are found spread over a region below the
fortieth degree of latitude, principally in Egypt and the Nile
tributaries; during the summer they seek a cooler climate. The height of
these magnificent Birds reaches to about five feet; when they are
flying, in the peculiar formation common to most aquatic Birds, with the
neck stretched out and the legs projecting behind, they look, in the
clear sky, like gigantic triangles of fire.
The ancients greedily sought after the flesh of the Flamingo, which they
regarded as the most choice food. The tongue especially was thought to
be an exquisite dainty. At the present day we no longer eat the Bird; to
modern palates its flesh is disagreeable in flavor, and it retains a
marshy smell which is far from being pleasant. With regard to the
tongue, the Egyptians, it is said, are content with extracting an oil
from it, which is used to flavor certain food.