The next year one persistent bird decided to try again and laid
two eggs. This time although they were carefully watched, an inquisitive
dog discovered the bird sitting on her nest. He barked loudly and the
frightened flamingo fled.

The eggs were taken into the barn at the track, and placed in a
hen's nest, and a motherly Rhode Island Red took over. Patiently she
sat. The usual 21 days passed and nothing happened. Puzzled, her
maternal instinct kept her on the nest another week. At last she was
rewarded. One gawky little flamingo broke its shell and stood on
webbly legs regarding its foster-mother uncertainly. The hen was as
much surprised as the flamingo but was soon clucking proudly over her
strange "chick."

In a useless effort to protect the other egg (which had not
hatched) the fledgling, with the imposing name, "The First Known
Flamingo to be Born in Captivity in North America," was removed to a
private pen.

Carefully fed on clam broth and egg yolk from a medicine
dropper, the bird learned to flap its wings when hungry. But two weeks
later, despite careful attention, the little orphan died.

Apparently, the flamingo colony definitely accepted its captive
state in the latter part of 1939, for numerous pairs of birds built nests and
began normal reproduction. In the spring of 1940 more than sixty newly-
born fledglings were strutting about the Hialeah