Page:Bird-lore Vol 06.djvu/239

 196 Bird— Lore

he be iorced to leave it during this period he evidently can ﬁnd his way back. An accompanying photograph shows a chick climbing up into its nest with the aid of bill and wings. This nest was within ten feet of my blind. and on my approach the chick jumped out and ran away. After I had concealed myself the parent returned and, apparently in response to its calls, the young one appeared, and was soon snugly nestling beneath the maternal or paternal wing. .

While in the nest, the chick, as described in ‘The Century’ article, is fed ﬁrst by regurgitation. taking its food drop by drop from the tip of the

Kqu HATCHED FLAMXNGD L\‘ A PARTLY FLOODED NEST. AN EXHAUSTED YOUNG BIRD, WHICH HAD LEFT THE NEST. AND A PIFPED ECG

parent's bill, and it also eats the shell of the egg from which it was hatched; this apparently is an invariable rule. Even after leaving the nest the chick is still fed for a time by the patent, which doubtless also induces it to pick up a living of its own.

It is an exceedingly interesting fact that the bill of the young Flamingo is straight and wholly unlike the singular. bent bill of the adult. Signs of a Roman nose, so to speak, ﬁrst appear when the chick is about two weeks old. and at this time he begins to feed after the manner of adults. That is. the upper mandible is held almost parallel with the ground. and even pressed into the muddy bottoms on which the birds feed. It is then moved rapidly and sends a jet of water through the bill which washes away the sand or mud taken in with the food. Like the old bird. the young one now often