THE ROSEATE SPOONBILL. 



If my nose and legs were not 

 so long, and my mouth such a 

 queer shape, I would be hand- 

 some, wouldn't I? But my feath- 

 ers are fine, everybody admits 

 that — especially the ladies. 



'^ How lovely," they all ex- 

 claim, when they see one of us 

 Spoonbills. '^ Such a delicate, 

 delicate pink! " and off they go to 

 the milliners and order a hat 

 trimmed with our pretty plumes. 



That is the reason so few of 

 us spoonbills are to be found in 

 certain localities now-a-days, 

 Florida especially. Fashion 

 has put most of us to death. 

 Shame, isn't it, when there are 

 silk, and ribbon, and flowers in 

 the world ? Talk to your moth- 

 ers and sisters, boys, and plead 

 with them to let the birds alone. 



We inhabit the warmer parts 

 of the world ; South and Central 

 America, Mexico, and the Gulf 

 regions of the United States. 

 We frequent the shores, both on 

 the sea coast and in the interior; 

 marshy, muddy ground is our 

 delight. 



When I feel like eating some- 

 thing nice, out I wade into the 

 water, run my long bill, head 

 and neck, too, sometimes, into the 

 soft mud, move my bill to and 

 fro, and such a lot of small fry 



as I do gather — insects and 

 shell fish — which I munch and 

 munch before I swallow. 



I am called a "wader" for do- 

 ing this.. My legs are not any 

 too long, you observe, for such 

 work. I am very thankful at 

 such times that I don't wear 

 stockings or knickerbockers. 



We are friendly with Herons 

 and like to ' ave one or two of 

 them accompany us. They are 

 very vigilant fellows, we find, 

 and make good sentinels, warn- 

 ing us when danger approaches. 



Fly? Oh, yes, of course we 

 do. With our neck stretched 

 forward and our legs and feet 

 extended behind, up we go grad- 

 ually in a spiral manner to a 

 great height. 



In some countries, they say, 

 our beaks are scraped very thin, 

 polished, and used as a spoon, 

 sometimes set in silver. I 

 wonder if that is the reason we 

 are called Spoonbills? 



The Spoonbills are sociable 

 birds; five or six of us generally 

 go about in company; and when 

 it comes time for us to raise fam- 

 ilies of little Spoonbills, we start 

 for our nesting place in great 

 flocks ; the same place where 

 our nests were built the year 

 before. 



145 



