468 A YEAR OF COSTA RICAN NATURAL HISTORY 



over these plants of the river edge. In flight the long legs 

 trail behind and their outspread wings, rich brown in the 

 nearer, yellow in the farther half, are very pretty. Indeed 

 this part of the river was a paradise of water birds and our 

 objective point was one of the islands where several species 

 build their nests in large numbers. As we approached this 

 island many of the old birds rose in a cloud and flew to the 

 opposite bank. The majority were the beautiful Roseate 

 Spoonbill {Ajaja ajaja) which stand three feet high, with 

 rose-colored plumes except on the middle of the wings and 

 above the base of the tail where there are patches of glisten- 

 ing metallic crimson. The tip of the bill is widened, sug- 

 gesting a spoon, whence the Costa Rican name of espatula. 



Dora, Professor Tristan and I were landed on this island 

 while the other three went to look for ducks. The island 

 was perhaps a hundred feet long and not so wide, and only a 

 few feet above the water level so that it is probably sub- 

 merged in the wet season. Most of its surface was covered 

 with gnarled, twisted, spiny-branched trees about fifteen 

 feet high. In these trees the spoonbills and other birds 

 had built their nests of sticks and twigs. The young of two 

 species were in nests at this time — the "cuacu" or Night 

 Heron {Nyctanassa violacea), occupying nests four to seven 

 feet above the ground, and the spoonbill whose nests were 

 six to twelve feet above the ground. The young spoonbills 

 varied in age from those whose plumage was simply down of 

 a very pale pink and the tip of the beak not widened, to 

 those which in size and plumage approached the adults and 

 were about ready to leave the nests. Indeed these latter 

 frequently did leave the nests and crawled awkwardly out 

 on the branches of the tree, but without attempting to fly, 

 when we approached to within a few feet. From time to 

 time the old birds returned singly to the island and then 

 some movement on our part or a passing canoe startling 



