IV IBIDIDAE 103 



T)eing most plentiful on the Upper Nile, though wandering to 

 the Persian Gulf, Egypt, and Algeria. The bare head and neck, 

 the bill, feet, and tips, of the primaries are black ; the decom- 

 po.sed inner secondaries and scapulars, which in summer curve 

 gracefully over the hinder parts, are iridescent black, the re- 

 mainder of the plumage is white. /. hemirri of Madagascar, 

 and probably Aldabra Island, has white primaries, as has /. mela- 

 nocejjJiala, ranging from India and Java to Japan. The latter, 

 moreover, develops in the breeding season a ruff of long plumes 

 on the fore-neck, similar to that of /. moJvcca of Australia, 

 Papuasia, and Ceram, which is distinguished by ten pink bars 

 crossing the occiput and nape, and pink spots on the crown. 



The sexes are similar, but young Ibises are comparatively dull, 

 and have feathered heads and necks, while crests and ornamental 

 plumes are generally absent. In immature examples of Ihis and 

 elsewhere the head and neck are black and white, in Nipponia 

 the plumage is apparently grey, in Eudorlmus chiefly brown. 



Sub-fam. 2. Platahtnae. — Spoonljills are shy gregarious birds, 

 frequenting creeks of the sea or marshes, where they may be seen 

 wading ankle-deep in water, hunting for the fish, frogs, crus- 

 taceans, molluscs, beetles, and insect-larvae on which they live, or 

 searching the ground in drier spots. They walk sedately, and fly 

 with easy flapping action and outstretched head and legs, now and 

 then rising spirally to float aloft ; while swimming, perching, or 

 standing on one leg are ordinary habits. In feeding, the beak is 

 moved from side to side in semicircular fashion, the body acting 

 in unison. There are no true vocal muscles, the voice being a 

 harsh (|uack or deep Heron-like note ; but a clattering of the bill 

 is lieard at times, less noisy than in Storks. The nest, when in 

 reed-beds, is a mass of twigs, flags, and the like, placed on the 

 ground or on low bushes ; Init it is commonly a large platform of 

 sticks in a tree, the three to flve rouuhish eu-os beiny- dull white 

 with red-brown spotting. Colonies are nearly always formed. 



Platalra leucorodia, the Spoonbill, which once bred regularly 

 in England, ranges over Central and Soutliern Europe and 

 Xorthern Africa, to Central Asia, Ceylon, and China ; P. reyUi in- 

 habits Australia, and probably Borneo, Celebes, the Moluccas, and 

 Xew Guinea, straying also to New Zealand ; P. niinor occurs 

 in China, Corea, Japan, and Formosa ; P. alha in the Ethiopian 

 Kegion with Madagascar. The ])lumage is white, with l);ire lores, 



