BIRD NOTES 167 



reverse. The Spoonbill never utters a sound beyond 

 the faint clap of its mandibles when suddenly brought 

 together. Mr. J. H. Gurney, however, assures me 

 the Spoonbill is not voiceless, for on one occasion he 

 heard a couple, probably under the influence of the 

 season and a fine day, utter a feeble trumpet-like 

 note, while dancing in the odd way peculiar to 

 birds of the Stork family. Spoonbills work the soft 

 mud in a very deliberate and methodical manner, 

 spooning it from side to side. Usually a flock work 

 together ; where one leads the others follow like so 

 many sheep. When flying they proceed in single 

 file, with necks and legs extended, looking singularly 

 white against the blue sky or grey horizon. When 

 shifting ground they will sometimes swim across an 

 intervening creek. They travel a long way when 

 feeding, and one might almost imagine they are ever 

 considering a distant puddle to be more desirable 

 than the one they are at the moment working. 



SOME ODD SHOTS 



This is not to me a pleasing subject the wanton 

 killing of birds that the heading suggests. Too 

 many birds are shot and aimed at simply to gratify 



