Breeding-qtuirters of the Spoonbill in Holland. 23 



depression in which lay four eggs, or rather, — unfortunately for 

 me, — in most cases four young, for we were too late ; many, 

 indeed, jumped up and ran away on our approach. In the nests 

 with young there was a great difference in age and size, one 

 being perhaps a day or two old and the largest in the same nest 

 say a fortnight or nearly fledged ; so that evidently the birds lay 

 their eggs at intervals of some days, and begin to sit on deposit- 

 ing the first. Very probably this is a provision of nature, to 

 enable the old birds to maintain all the four young, they being 

 great feeders ; so that should all require at one time a large 

 amount of food, the efforts of the parents to procure it would be 

 unavailing. After wandering about (which was a matter of 

 difficulty owing to the nature of the mud), we found a clutch of 

 only three eggs, which I secured, and also one of four,Tvhich 1 

 managed to blow. We also obtained two clutches of purple 

 herons', but we were also too late for these. A great many 

 nests contained the full complement of eggs, but too far set for 

 specimens. These nests are built about three feet above the 

 water, by some fifteen to twenty reeds being bent at right angles 

 to form a platform, and the nest of reeds placed on this. All but 

 one of the nests we examined contained four eggs or young, that 

 one only three. Hutner said he thought about two hundred pairs 

 of spoonbills were breeding there this year. We caught two 

 young ones almost fledged, which we took back to Amsterdam 

 and deposited at the Gardens. On leaving this part of the mere 

 on our homeward journey, one of the assistants said he thought 

 the black terns had begun to breed, so he took Mr. Blaauw and 

 me in the small boat some distance to the spot, and I had the 

 pleasure of taking a clutch of three eggs from a little nest of 

 rotten reeds floating on the surface of the water, kept from 

 blowing away by being placed at the point of contact of three 

 water-lily leaves ; we saw another similar nest, but not quite 

 finished. We then walked back to Keverdyke, and asked the 

 men with their high boots on to search the bed of reeds for the 

 great reed warblers' nests. These reeds were some nine feet high 

 and grew in an unknown depth of water. The nest was quickly 

 brought me, — a very beautiful one it was, when first taken, — 

 suspended between four reeds, about two or three feet from the 

 water and five or six from the top. We again reached Amster- 

 dam about six o'clock, having had a most enjoyable excursion. 



On calling on the following Saturday to take leave of Mr, 

 Westerman, I found the young spoonbills had taken most kindly 

 to their quarters, and readily swallowed the fish placed in their 

 mouths ; and on June 16th I heard from Mr. Blaauw that they 

 had got on splendidly and fed themselves freely. 



For this most delightful day I have to heartily thank Mr. 

 Sclater for his. introduction, Mr. Westerman for his kind 



