THE NATURALIST.

Otago Witness, Issue 2669, 10 May 1905, Page 68

THE NATURALIST.

Tlie Flamingo and Its Queer Nest.

There are about seven species of flamingoes, three of which are in America, frequenting the Bahamas, Florida, and Cuba. In height the flamingo averages about sft. If its curved neck were stretched to its full length the bird would tower above the head of an ordinary man. During May and June, the breeding time, -the birds' brightcoloured plumage is faded, but resumes its most radiant hues in winter. When first hatched, the young have a straight bill, which, after a time, develops into one <?f bent shape. The first plumage is greyisnwhite, and passes through various tints of pink, rose, carmine, or vermilion to the full scarlet of the adult, which reaches its deepest shade on the wings. Several years are necessary to perfect the final gaudy plumage. The eggs are white, showing a blue tint when scraped under the surface. They arc long, oval, and have a thick shell, equalling in size that of the common goose. The flesh is not palatable to the taste, being extremely oily. The birds feed upon both animal and vegetable matter from the ooze and soft bottoms of the shallow waters and lagoons selected by them both as a feeding ground and nesting place. When flying, their long legs are stretched out behind and the neck is extended. They have a peculiar voice and a sort of onesyllable outcry, which they utter as an alarm signal the moment they are approached or believe themselves to be in danger. On account of their keen-eyed and wary nature, it is almost impossible to get within close range of them. During the winter the birds live chiefly on the west coast of the island, where the shallow water and soft marl bottom afford them an abundance of food, and prevent pursuit either by boat or on foot; but in May they gather in some lagoon in the interior of Andros Island, far from the habitations of man, to rear their young. These breeding resorts are few in number, and their whereabouts are comparatively unknown. We (says a writer in. a Home paper of late date) succeeded in reaching a large flaminco rookery . well" in the heart of Andros without undue difficulty. Our schooner was left at anchor behind the shelter of some outlying reefs, and the final part of the voyage was made in small boats.

The locality is only a few inches above the sea level, and is characterised by wide siietches of shallow lagoons bordered by red mangrove trees, with occasional bare bars of grey marl, and by outcrops of coralline rock so eroded and walerworn into blade-like edges and sharp, jagged pinnacles that walking is attended by much danger. Our tents were pitched on a sand bar, and preparations made to visit the flamingo colonies known to exist in the vicinity. ~

vicinity. Subsequent research showed that the locality was regularly frequented by these birds as a breeding resort, but that apparently a different spot was chosen each year. Eight ' groups or villages of nests were found within a radius of a mile, each evidently having been occupied only one year. The largest of these, placed on a iaud bar only an inch or two above the level of the surrounding water, was 100 yards in length, and averaged about 30 yards in width. An estimate, based on an actual count of a portion of this colony, gave a total of 2000 nests for an area of, approximately, only 27,000 square feet. This rookery we judged to have been occupied the previous year. At a distance of a mile we found nests scattered about in a dense growth of mangrovas. Here the birds were found at work upon their nests for the present year.

A flock was seen which was estimated to contain about 700 birds — a sight of surpassing beauty. Although no shot was fired, and a retreat was promptly made, tho birds were disturbed by our intrusion, and either discontinued operations or removed to some other locality, and eventually we were forced to leave without seeing fresh nests. Those in process of building, however, told somewhat the manner of their construction. Those built among the mangroves were in an excellent state of preservation, a few even containing eggs. The task of getting these nests into the hold of the schooner was one of great difficvilty. The largest secured measured 18in in diamater at the bottom, 13in at the top, and 9in in height, and weighed upwards of 1001b.

Being- one solid mass of mud, and dried only externally, it needed but a slight jar to break the strongest of the nests into fragments, and the prospect of transporting the specimens in safety seemed one of uncertainty. The Bahama negro boatmen were not accustomed to delicate work of this character, and it required special inducements in tha way of pay to tempt them to -wade barefooted through the lagoons and- to travel over the keen-edged rocks with burdens of from 501b to 1501b on their heads. The. gegj& wjre j>l»cecl in, j&ft MH9§ A M<J

reached the schooner with the breaking of only three out of nine specimens. In Nassau they were treated with a solution o£ gum arabic, which hardened them, and after being wrapped in plaster of Paris bandages, they were packed separately in large boxes, and reached their destination in excellent condition.

Thorny Subjects.— When plants grow old, science tells us, they tend to protect themselves by reason of the- density and hardness of the parts they develop. Contrariwise, the young parts of plants, illustrating structures of more tender natures, are often found to be especially defended by pnckles, spines, thorns, and like contrivances. Very clever ai-3 the defences of the appropriately-named "wait-a-bit" thorn of Ethiopia, which grows spines of immense length, utterly impenetrable by man or beast. The lion himself does not venture to tackle so formidable a plant. Each spine, sharp as a bayonet, and as thick and effective, wounds and lecerates any living body which comes in contact with it. The celebrated botanist Grisebach says that all desert surfaces are distinguished by the high development of thorny defences in their plants. Nature under such conditions seems to run to spines and prickles, as though imitating in the merciless character of her plant life the barren features of the surrounding desert lands. Of this class the aloe in South Africa, and elsewhere, is an interesting specimen, having for defence thorns on each leaf tip, and on the edges of the leaves as well. As remarkable, it may be noted, for purposes of preservation, the aloe has powers of absorbing and retaining moisture. By a thick outside coating for prevention of evaporation it keeps a great amount of moisture within, and is also cool and green, amidst dry and rocky regions environing it. Further, it may be remarked, in connection with the growth of spiny defences in plants, that the thorns do not, as a rule, grow above the level commonly reached by animals which might crop their leaves for food. Destructive Insects in the Argentine. — The black ant is the sworn enemy of the tree planter. It makes a nest or ant hive as much as 6ft in diameter, and perhaps 4ft or sft deep, if left unmolested. To this nest the ants bring leaves and twigs, working laboriously all day, except in the height of summer, when they take a midday siesta and make up for lost time during the moonlit nights, or when the frost lies on the ground they remain in their nests. An early frosty morning is the^appointed time to destroy them, and various are the methods, tjje most primitive being to work up the nest with earth and water into a mud heap and then shovel it out to cake and dry. Smoke machines and malignant acida producing gas are now most usually employed. The paths stretching from an ant's nest reach to a distance of 50 yards, so that one single nest may extend its damaging sphere of influence over as much as two acres. If neglected by the woodman the young trees are completely stripped of their leaves and destroyed. About the month of November the black ants develop wings and swarm, travelling in a thick column of 30ft for long distances, until they settle and found new colonies. The destruction of the black ant is the most expensive item in Argentine forestry. — The basket bug is another, though a more manageable plague. The bug is of the family of the silkworms, and in early summer weaves for itself a small basket of kist, composed of small twigs knit together with a woof of silk hairs and a gummy substance, and suspended from the leaf of a tree. Here the bug encloses itself and deposits its eggs and dies. The young bugs, when born, feed upon the leaves, and can turn a leafy wood into a desolate, wintry mass of bare twigs if neglected. Perseverance, however, will succeed in destroying the basket bugs in a plantation.