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National Geographic : 1914 May
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Photo by Frank M. Chapman A FLOCK OF IBISES: TAMIAHUA LAGOON, MEXICO (SEE PAGE 545) tion, half fell, half jumped to the ground, and at top speed galloped over the mud to the lagoon, 50 yards away, and plunged into the water not 2 feet ahead of me. I have not yet made up my mind what I should have done with the formidable looking reptile if his speed had not out run my discretion. Iguanas were, in truth, surprisingly common on the little island. The track of their dragging trail was everywhere visible along the beach, and we were frequently startled by having them drop from the limbs overhead and scurry into the water. DIRIGIBLE AND AEROPLANE On some neighboring islets brown peli cans and man-of-war-birds were nesting in the black mangroves. The latter were so wholly devoid of fear that in order to secure motion pictures of them in flight it was necessary to shake the limbs on which they were sitting. The mating season was past and the birds were incu bating their single white egg, and but one bird in the colony of several hundred was seen to inflate its throat pouch. This form of sexual display is prac ticed only by the male, who expands his pouch until in form, color, and appear ance it exactly resembles a red toy bal loon. This striking appendage is ex hibited not only when the bird is at rest, but also when it is in the air, and we secured photographs of a flying bird with this great scarlet bladder hanging beneath its bill-a unique combination of dirigible and aeroplane in bird life (see page 551). Without further describing our search for land and water birds at sea-level in eastern Mexico, or summarizing what I have briefly written about them, at least enough has been said to show that in its general aspects the avifauna is here highly tropical. Accepting this fact as estab lished, we may now return to Vera Cruz and begin our journey toward snow-line. Remarkable as is the railway journey from Vera Cruz to the table-land, it must be remembered that the region has been settled for centuries and that the original forest has long since disappeared. To find primeval conditions one must there fore go some distance from the long-es tablished railways. In my opinion the whole region may best be seen from Cor doba as a base. The city itself is unusu ally interesting, the accommodations good,
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