Page:Bird-lore Vol 04.djvu/200

 Flamingoes’ Nests I79

and were doubtless occupied the preceding year. Some were placed among young, others among fully grown mangroves, and one colony, probably inhabited in (900, was situated on a sand—bar two hundred yards from the nearest vegetation. All the colonies found contained at least several hune dred nests, and the one on the sand»bar, by actual count of a measured sec» tion, was composed of 2,000 mud dwellingsi What an amazing sight this settlement must have presented when occupied, with the stately males. as is their habit, standing on guard near their sitting mates!

Flamingoes in small ﬂocks containing from three or {our to fifty individ- uals were seen in the vicinity, but it remained for Mr. Bonhote's negro as- sistant to discover the spot which had been selected by the birds for a nestr ing site In 1902. Climbing a small palm, an extended view was had of the surrounding lagoons, sandebars and bushegrown limestone; and he soon ex~

COLONY 0F ABOUT Two THOUSAM') FLAulKGo ESTS A section 0! lhxs colony Is shown on lht‘ Karin: pate

claimed, “Oh, Mr. Bonhote. too much, too much Fillymingo!" Less than a mile away. indeed, was a ﬂock estimated to contain at least 700 of these magniﬁcent birds, which Mr, Bonhote approached so cautiously through the thick growth of mangroves. that he was fairly among them before they took wing. They had not then begun to build, but the open spaces among the mangroves were closely dotted with nests (see photograph), which ap» parently had been occupied the preceding year and in some of which old eggs were seen. Here, some days later, nests were found in the early stages of their construction; but, to our great regret, circumstances com- pelled us to leave before they were completed and we did not therefore see the birds upon them. However, we learned some things regarding the nesting habits of Flamingoes which, in view of our comparative igno» rance of the ways of these birds at this season. it may be worth while recording. «

In the first place, although the birds return to the same general locality year after year, they apparently use a nest only one season This seemed! proven by the nicely graduated series of groups of nests which we found, each one of which, beginning with those best preserved, seemed about a