506 PLATALEA LEUCORODIA. 



inches to the end of the middle toe ; length of the bill from 

 the feathers on the forehead seven inches and a quarter ; 

 breadth of the spoon nearly two inches ; the colour dusky, 

 with transverse undulated ridges of black ; the margin 

 formed by a groove running from the nostrils, and sur- 

 rounding the bill, is punctured; the point, which for an 

 inch is nearly smooth, is of an orange-yellow ; on the inside 

 of both mandibles near the base are several protuberances 

 on each side ; from the bill to the eye, and the orbits bare of 

 feathers, and of an orange-yellow, without any fine down, 

 described by some authors. The whole plumage is white, 

 except the lower part of the neck, which is yellowish-buff, 

 becoming faint behind ; the feathers on the top of the head 

 increase in length by degrees ; those of the hind head are 

 from three to five inches long, forming a most beautiful 

 flowing crest of slender yellowish-white feathers. The trachea 

 is somewhat compressed, and the cartilaginous rings are 

 very fine and tender ; at the lower part is a flexure, reflecting 

 and again returning, two inches or more in length, before it 

 enters the cavity of the breast." 



Variations. — In adult birds differences occur in size, in 

 the length of the bill, that of the crest, and in the extent of 

 yellow on the neck. Frequently the shafts and tips of the 

 primary quills and primary coverts are more or less black. 



Habits. — The White Spoonbill is said by authors to be 

 extensively distributed over the temperate and warmer parts 

 of Europe, and to be especially abundant in Holland, where 

 it is migratory. It resides on the margins of rivers and 

 estuaries, feeding on small fishes, mollusca, worms, and 

 insects. Montagu found in the female above described 

 several half-digested small fishes, and some stickle-backs 

 entire. According to M. Temminck, it nestles on trees or 

 bushes, or among the rushes near the margins of the sea or 

 large lakes, seldom far inland, laying two or three white 

 eggs, marked with very scattered faint rust-red spots, or 

 sometimes entirely white. 



This beautiful bird is of rare and irregular occurrence in 



