50 LOST AND VANISHING BIRDS 



land for building purposes, together with that 

 direct persecution which such a curious and con- 

 spicuous bird would be sure to invite, especially 

 as the improvement in and the carrying of fire- 

 arms became more general. The fact also that the 

 birds were left unprotected during the breeding 

 season, although the taking of the eggs was 

 punished with a severe penalty, could not fail to 

 have a disastrous effect upon the species. Had 

 equally stringent measures been taken for the 

 preservation of the birds during this critical period, 

 the Spoonbill might still have been numbered as 

 an indigenous English species to-day. We under- 

 stand that in Holland the bird is now strictly 

 preserved in some of its ancient strongholds, which 

 we hope may result in retaining this handsome 

 species in the Dutch ornis for many years to 

 come. 



In Europe, in addition to Holland, the Spoonbill 

 breeds in Southern Spain, in the valley of the 

 Danube, in the delta of the Volga, and in the Aral 

 basin. Eastwards in Asia we trace it as a breed- 

 ing species, in Asia Minor, Turkestan, Western 

 Siberia up to 48° north latitude. Southern Dauria, 

 the Amoor Valley, South - eastern Mongolia, 

 and southwards over the whole of India and 



