WHITE SPOONBILL. 505 



also bare. The plumage is moderately full; the feathers 

 with a rather large downy plumule ; those of the head and 

 neck narrow and blended, of the body ovate and rounded. 

 On the occiput is a large crest, of numerous linear feathers, 

 having the webs deflected or decurvate, and the filaments 

 disunited ; the longest five inches. The wings are long and 

 broad, of thirty quills ; the primaries broad, tapering, but 

 rounded ; the outer three sinuate on the inner web ; the 

 second longest, exceeding the third by a twelfth and a half, 

 and the first by eight-twelfths ; the secondaries very broad 

 and rounded. The tail is short, even, or very slightly emar- 

 ginate and rounded ; the feathers broad. 



The bill is black, transversely variegated with bluish ; 

 the margins dusky toward the end, but about an inch in 

 length of the expanded ridge or plate yellow ; that of the 

 lower mandible dusky, as is part of the intercrural membrane. 

 The iris is red ; the skin of the gular sac reddish-yellow ; 

 that of the loral space pale yellow behind, dusky before. 

 The bare part of the tibia, the tarsi, and toes are dusky ; the 

 claws black. The plumage is white ; but there is a large 

 buff-coloured patch on the lower part of the neck and fore 

 part of the breast, and the feathers of the crest are tinged 

 with yellow. 



Length to end of tail 32 inches ; bill along the ridge 8^, 

 along the edge of lower mandible, following the curves, 9-^ ; 

 wing from flexure 15 1 - ; tail 5; bare part of tibia 3^ ; tarsus 

 5-j^ ; first toe 1^, its claw ^ ; second toe Q-fe, its claw -^ ; 

 third toe 3, its claw 3^V ; fourth toe ^-, its claw -f^. 



Female. — The female is similar to the male, differing 

 only in having the crest considerably smaller, and less buff 

 on the breast. 



Length to end of tail 30 inches ; bill along the ridge 7-^, 

 its breadth at the end 1-ff ; wing from flexure 15; tail 4f ; 

 tarsus 5^ ; middle toe 3-J^, its claw -^ . 



An adult female, shot on the 16th of March, 1807, 

 near Kingsbridge, is thus described by Montagu : — " This 

 beautiful bird weighed three pounds three ounces ; measured 

 thirty-one inches to the end of the tail, and thirty-eight 



