370 Mr. R. Swinhoe on the Ornithology of Formosa. 



broader; the furculum narrower and weaker. The chest is 

 more expanded, and pierced with more air-holes ; and the whole 

 structure is less compact, and tighter. 



There appears to be no marked difference between the male 

 and female sterna, except that attributable to age. 



Tongue short and triangular, edged on the interior convex 

 margin with papillae. Cleft of palate more sparsely edged with 

 papillae, which are drawn on the transverse ridge at the base of 

 the cleft opposable to the base of the tongue. 



The flesh of this Spoonbill is very palatable. 



In the Chinese books on natural history many birds are 

 fabulously described, and of the Spoonbill a wondrous description 

 is given. It is spoken of as a bird with the eyes placed on the 

 top of its head, and as possessing only one wing; so that two 

 birds are obliged to hook on side by side to enable them to rise 

 in the air. It is considered as singular an anomaly among the 

 feathered class as a Plaice is among fishes. The Plaice has also 

 both its eyes on the top of its head, and is reported by the 

 (Chinese cabinet naturalists, on account of the apparently un- 

 finished state of its lower surface, to require two to adhere 

 together to form a proper fish, each animal keeping a look-out 

 on its surface-side for the mutual safety of the pair. With this 

 story in their minds, some Chinese literati of the place actually 

 desired me to let them have a look at the Spoonbills, wishing 

 to verify their literary researches. I soon confounded the stag- 

 nant learning of the Confucian savans. 



I have to add to my Formosan list two more species, viz. the 

 Painted Snipe [Rhynchcea sinensis) and the Bald Coot {Fulica 

 aira), both of which were shot last November, at Apes^ Hill, 

 S.W. Formosa. 



I have perused the description of Gallinago solitaria, Hodgs., 

 in the ' Fauna Japonica,' taken from Japanese specimens. This 

 seems to tally well with my Gallinago megala from China and 

 Formosa, and may be identical with the true G. solitaria of 

 India, of which I have not seen an example. The bird is only 

 met with on our southerly coasts in September and late in spring, 

 and doubtless winters in much lower latitudes. 



Tarasuv, Formosa, March 25, 1864. 



