Bird Life in Dutch Marshes 



235 



appear. Several others from neighbouring nests do the 

 same, but eventually we find one nest whose occupants are 

 not quite so fully developed. 



The scene is a most striking one. On the rude platform 

 of sere and yellow stalks are two young Spoonbills, whose 

 snow-white plumage in the bright sunshine is in strong 



Young Purple Hero.xs i.\ Nist. 



contrast to the green background. Their legs look swollen 

 and rather limp, and one of them prefers to squat, as if 

 its legs were hardly equal to supporting its hea\'y body. 

 The other stands tottering on the edge, desiring to see the 

 last of our company and wishing to depart. 



Finding them, however, is one thing, but photographing 

 them is not quite so easy as we expected. The punt is 



