PLATALEA. 665 



Gen, Tantalus. Linn. 



Bill rounded, long and curved downwards; nostrils at the base of the bill; 

 head and cheeks bare ; tibia naked for half its length. 



1334. Tantalus leUCOCephalUS, Penn. in Forst. Ind. Zool. p. 20, 

 pi. 10 ; Gmel., Syst. Nat. \. p. 649; Jerd., B. Ind. ii. p. 761, No. 938; 

 Hume, Nests and Eggs Ind* B. p. 626; Blytli, B. Burm. p. 158; Hume and 

 Dav.y Str. F. v. p. 484; Newton, Sir-. F. viii. p. 415; Legge, B. Ceylon, 

 p. 1 100; Oates, Str. F. x. p. 244; id., B. Br. Burm. ii. p. 267; Murray, 

 Vert. Zool., Sind, p. 276. The PELICAN IBIS. 



Plumage white ; quills and tail richly glossed greenish black ; tertiaries 

 white, tinged with rosy, with a dark band near the end and a white tip, the 

 feathers lax and decomposed ; lesser and median coverts glossy green, edged 

 with white ; greater coverts white ; bill yellow, the tip greenish, as are the 

 naked orbits, head and gular skin ; irides pale yellow brown grey in some ; 

 legs fleshy red. 



Length. 40 to 42 inches ; expanse 71 ; wing 2O ; tail 6-25 ; tarsus 8 10. 



The young have the cheeks and ear coverts grey ; head and neck brown ; 

 lower plumage smoky white, darker across the abdomen and on the sides of 

 the body. 



Hab. Extremely common throughout India, Burmah and Ceylon, frequent- 

 ing rivers, tanks, marshes, &c., generally in small parties of 10 or a dozen. 

 Breeds from May to August on high trees. Eggs, 3 4, glossless, dull white 

 with a thick compact shell. 



Sub-Family PLATAL^IN/E, SPOONBILLS* 



Bill flat, spathulate> long and rounded at the tip. 



Gen. Platalea. Lin. 



Bill thin, flat, dilated and rounded at the tip (spathulate) otherwise as in 

 Tantalus-, toes connected by a small membrane extending as far as the 

 second joint of the outer and the first joint of the inner one. 



1365. Platalea leucorodia (Zi.), Bodd. Tab. PL En. 4 o$; 



Gould, B. Eur. pi. 286; Jerd., B. Ind. iii. p. 763; Murray, Hdbk., Zool., 

 8fc., Si?id, p. 229; Murray, Vert. Zool., Sind, p. 227. The SPOONBILL. 



Plumage pure white, except a buffy yellow patch on the upper breast, 

 extending sometimes on to the back; orbitar skin orange yellow, also the 

 skin of the gullet ; head crested ; bill and legs black, spotted or barred 

 with yellowish ; the tip yellowish during winter ; irides blood red ; legs black ; 

 nude facial skin and gular pouch orange yellow. 



Length. 31 to 36 inches ; wing 14 to 16; tail 6*25 to 6-5 ; bill at front 7 to 8-5. 

 The young have the shafts and tips of the primaries black. 

 Half. Sind, Beloochistan, Persia, Afghanistan and throughout India, fre- 

 quenting rivers, lakes, &c. 

 VOL. II. 80 



