902 SPOWE—STANIEL 



also black. In the breeding-season a pendent tuft of white plumes 

 further ornaments the head of both sexes, but is longest in the male. 

 The young of the year have the primary quills dark-coloured. 



The Spoonbills form a natural group, Plataleidse, allied, as before 

 stated (p. 456), to the Ihididse, and somewhat more distantly to the 

 Storks. They breed in societies, not only of their own kind, but 

 in company with Herons, either on trees or in reed-beds, making 

 large nests in which are commonly laid four eggs, — white, speckled, 

 streaked or blotched, but never very closely, with light red. Such 

 breeding-stations have been several times described, and among the 

 more recent accounts of one of them are those of Messrs. Sclater 

 and W. A. Forbes {Ibis, 1877, p. 412), and Mr. Seebohm {Zool 

 1880, p. 457), while a view of another has been attempted by 

 Schlegel {Vog. Nederland, taf. xvii.). The latest systematic revision 

 of the group is by Mr. Grant {Ibis, 1889, pp. 32-58, pi. i.). 



SPOWE, Icel. Spdi, an old name, though apparently yet extant, 

 for the Whimbrel ; but SPOWSE is an ancient corruption of 

 Sparrowes, i.e. SPARROWS. 



SPRAT-LOOIST, a gunner's name for a Diver in immature or 

 winter-plumage — the Red-throated Diver, Colymbus septentrionalis, as 

 the commonest species, being that which is generally meant. 



SPEIG-TAIL, a name for the Pintail (p. 726), and perhaps 

 also for the Long-tailed Duck (Hareld, p. 406), though that is a 

 species much less common than the other. 



SPRITE, see Speight (p. 899). 



SPUR-FOWL, the Anglo-Indian name for birds of the genus 

 Galloperdix, allied to GoMus (Fowl, p. 289), but remarkable for the 

 two, or sometimes even three, pairs of spurs that the cock bears 

 on his legs, while the hens are similarly armed. Three species are 

 known, of which the first descicibed is peculiar to Ceylon, and is the 

 Perdix bicalcarata of J. R. Forster in 1781 {Ind. Zool. p. 25, pi. xiv.), 

 the other two inhabiting the mainland of India ; but their respective 

 range seems not to have been yet defined with precision (Hume, 

 Nests and Eggs Ind. B. ed. 2, iii. pp. 423-425). One of them, G. 

 spadicea, was originally described as from Madagascar ; but, as Dr. 

 Hartlaub shewed in 1861 {Orn. Beitr. Madag. p. 69), evidently by 

 mistake. 



SQUACCO, the mis-spelling of Latham {Gen. Synops. iii. p. 74, 

 in place of Sguacco, the Italian name of a Heron (p. 419, note), 

 Ardea ralloides or comata, which was correctly given by Willughby 

 and Ray (though they had not seen the bird) from Aldrovandus. 

 The error has, however, established itself firmly. 



STANIEL, STANNEL and STONEGALL (Germ. Steingall), 



