38 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



[Spoonbills, 



matA, AmpuUarue, Planorbc) ; but, on the other 

 hand, Cutier detected the remain* of the skin and 

 scales of unakes, still undigested, in one of the 

 mummies of the ibis, which be deposited in the 

 anatomical gallery of the Paris Museum. We 

 aeain repeat it, that, though the story told by 

 Herodotus is unwcrthy of serious notice, both this 

 species and the black ibis may devour small ser- 

 pents and oiher reptiles. The Ibis religiosa, says 

 Cuvier, " was entertained in the temples of ancient 

 Egypt with the observances of religious worship, 

 and after death was embahned, and this because, 

 according to some, it devoured the serpents which 

 would become the pests of the land ; according to 

 others, because there was some similitude between 

 its plumage and one of the phases of the moon ; 

 and, finally, because, according to others again, ite 

 appearance announced the rise of the Nile." The 

 last was probably the true reason. 



The sacred ibis is about the size of a fowl ; in its 

 immature state the neck is partially covered with 

 down of a blackish tint, which disappears when the 

 plumage is mature, leaving the head and neck bare, 

 which, with the beak and legs, are of a decided 

 black colour. The general plumage is of a pure 

 white, wi»h the exception of the tips of the quill- 

 feathers, which are of a glossy black, with violet 

 reflexions ; as are also the last four secondaries, 

 which have the barbs singularly elongated and 

 silky, so as to form a graceful plume, hanging down 

 over the wines and tail, presenting an effective 

 contrast with the purity of the rest of the plumage. 



Family PLATALEID^E (SPOONBILLS). 



In this group the singular form of the bill at once 

 arrests attention: it is long, powerful, gradually 

 flattening from a stout base, and at last expanding 

 into a rounded shovel-like termination. The upper 

 mandible is transversely marked with slight furrows, 

 and channelled along its edge from each nostril, 

 which has an upper site, near the base of the man- 

 dible. The form of the nostrils is oblong. The 

 face is more or less naked. The limbs are long and 

 robust. The three anterior toes are united by a 

 web as far as the second joint. The wings are long 

 and ample. The feathers of the neck are very close- 

 set. Figs. 1927 and 1928 represent the Beak of the 

 Spoonbill. The birds of this group are shy and re- 

 tiring, and live in society in wild wooded marshes, 

 about the borders of lakes and the mouths of rivers, 

 but rarely visit the sea. Their food consists of 

 fishes, moUusks, small reptiles, the larvae of aquatic 

 insects, &c. They generally build on trees, but oc- 

 casionally in bushes, or even amidst the luxuriant 

 vegetation of the swamp. 



It is not till the third year that the young assume 

 the colouring of the adult ; and the beak, which is 

 covered with a vascular membrane, gradually ac- 

 quires its full dimensions and hardness. 



1929. — The Common Spoonbih, 



fPlatalea leucorodia). Pale, Poche, Cueillar, Truble, 

 and Spatule blanche of the French ; Becquaroneglia 

 end Cucchiarone of the Italians; Weissar-Laffler 

 and Laffelgans of the Germans ; Lepelaar of the 

 Netherlanders ; y Lldon big of the ancient British. 



The common spoonbill is widely spread over 

 Europe, the adjacent districts of Asia, and Africa. 

 It visits Holland every spring in considerable num- 

 bers, migrating with the storks ; and is also to be 

 found in the marshy districts of France. It is 

 essentially a bird of passage, resorting in winter to 

 Africa, where it extends its range southwards, even 

 to the Cape of Good Hope, frequenting the mouths 

 of rivers and marshes ; in our island it rarely makes 

 its appearence. Pennant mentions a large flight 

 which arrived in the marshes near Yarmouth, 1774. 

 Montagu records it as having been sometimes seen 

 during winter on the coast of South Devon, and 

 mentions the receipt of two specimens from that 

 part of the country, one in November, 1804, and a 

 second in March, 1807. Dr. Lathem mentions an 

 instance of its occurrence on the Kentish coast. 

 Mr. Yarrell records two specimens which were shot 

 in Lincolnshire, in 1826 ; and Mr. Selby states that, 

 when in London, in May, 1830, he obtained a male 

 and female, in fine tldult plumage, from Norfolk ; 

 adding, •' From the time of the year at which these 

 birds were killed, it is not improbable that they 

 would have remained to breed in the district se- 

 lected ; and though my collection has profited by 

 their capture, I must still regret that they were not 

 allowed to remain in secunty." The food of this 

 bird consists of the fry of fishes, aquatic worms, 

 mollusks, insects, and the roots of some weeds and 

 grasses, in quest of which it explores the muddy 

 water with its broad bill, at the same time rapidly 

 opening and shutting the mandibles. The flesh of 

 the spoonbill is said very nearly to resemble that of 

 a goose, without any fishy or unpleasant flavour. 

 In its anatomy, says Mr. Selby, this bird shows an 

 affinity to the cranes; the windpipe .previous to 



entering the chest assumes a double flexure, to the 

 extent of about two inches, forming a convolution 

 similar to the figure 8; the flexures touch, but do 

 not cross each other, the points of contact being 

 united by fine membranes. Temminck and others 

 have supposed that this peculiarity was to be found 

 only in the male ; but, as is now well known, it 

 equally occurs in the female. The nest of this 

 species is sometimes placed on trees, sometimes in 

 rushes and reeds ; the eggs are generally three in 

 number, white, and usu^ly marked with obscure 

 red spots. The general plumage of the spoonbill is 

 white, with the exception of a broad pectoral mark of 

 ochreous yellow, which extends round the base of 

 the neck ; the naked skin round the eyes and throat 

 yellow, but on the lower part of the latter slightly 

 tinged with red. Bill blacK, bluish in the hollow of 

 the furrows, and ochreous yellow at the apex. Iris 

 red ; legs black. Length two feet six inches. 

 Length of bill eight inclies and a half. Head with 

 a fine crest of long slender feathers, which can be 

 raised or depressed at will. The female is some- 

 what smaller, with a less developed crest, and a 

 paler chest-mark. The young have no crest ; the 

 undeveloped bill is soft and flexible, about four 

 inches long, and covered by a smooth ash-coloured 

 skin ; the naked parts of the head are of a dull 

 white. The general plumage is white, excepting 

 the quills, which are black along the shafts and at 

 their ends. The yellow patch on the chest does 

 not appear till the second or third year. 



Family PHCENICOPTERID.^; (FLAMINGOES). 



Elevated as are the legs of these birds, a consi- 

 deration of many important points in their structure 

 will at once convince, that of all the Grallatorial or 

 Wading order, they approach by far the nearest to 

 the true swimming birds (Natatores). We may 

 here allude to Professor Owen's account of the ana- 

 tomy of the Flamingo in the' Proceeds. Zool. Soc' 

 1832, p. 141 ; which it would be out of place to 

 follow in a work like the present, though not to 

 have noticed it would have been unpardonable. 



We cannot describe the beak of the flamingo 

 better than by saying it is that of a swan bent down 

 abruptly in the middle, with the sides of the lower 

 mandible raised boat-like, so that its margin may 

 follow the abrupt arch presented by the edge of 

 the upper, which is channelled on each side on the 

 upper aspect of the margin, from the nostrils to the 

 hard nail-like apex. To enter into detail, we may 

 observe, that the head is small, surmounting a slen- 

 der neck of extraordinary length, while the beak is 

 so modified as to be used in the contrary position 

 to which it is in general ; that is, the upper man- 

 dible is applied lowermost to the mud and ooze 

 while the bird is searching for food. The upper 

 mandible proceeds for about half its length from 

 the head straight, v;ith an obtuse upper ridge, and 

 in the part below the ridge is an extensive mem- 

 branous nasal fossa, on which are seated the nostrils 

 in the form of longitudinal slits; the mandible then 

 becomes flat, and bends down abruptly, terminating 

 in a blunt and somewhat incurved apex. The lower 

 mandible, extending forwards and describing on its 

 lower margin a gentle curve, throws up its sides, 

 which describe a bold arch, the edge fitting the 

 edge of the upper mandible. The edges of both 

 mandibles are furnished with fine, close, transverse 

 tooth-like laminae, which form a sort of filter, and, 

 as Professor Owen says, like the plates of whale- 

 bone on the whale, allow the superfluous moisture 

 to drain away, while the small moUusca and other 

 littoral animalcula are detained and swallowed. 

 "The tongue," says the same writer, " is remarkable 

 for its texture, magnitude, and peculiar armature. 

 It is almost cylindrical, but slightly flattened above, 

 so as to correspond with the form of the inferior 

 mandible. The lower part of the truncated surface 

 is produced in a pointed form, and is supported be- 

 neath by a small horny plate. The whole length 

 of the tongue is three inches, its circumference two 

 inches and a half. Along the middle of the superior 

 flattened surface there is a moderately deep and wide 

 longitudinal furrow, on either side of which there 

 are from twenty to twenty-five recurved spines, but 

 of a soft and yielding horny texture, measuring from 

 one to three lines in length. These spines are ranged 

 in an irregular alternate series, the outer ones being 

 the smallest, and these indeed may be considered a 

 distinct row. At the posterior part of the tongue 

 there are two groups of smaller recumbent spines, 

 directed towards the glottis. The substance of the 

 tongue is not muscular, but is chiefly composed of 

 an abundant yielding cellular substance with fat of 

 an almost oily consistence. It is supported by a long 

 and thin concave cartilage articulated to the body of 

 the OS hyoides." Fig. 1930 represents the Skull and 

 Beak of the Flamingo ; Fig. 1931, the Tongue ; Fig. 

 1932, the Head and Tongue of the same. In the 

 flamingo the legs are of excessive length ; the three 

 anterior toes are fully webbed ; the hind toe is short, 

 and articulated high on the tarsus ; nails short and 



flat ; wings moderate. These birds are wadeis in 

 their habits, but occasionally swim when out oitheir 

 depth. They frequent low muddy coasts, the mouths 

 of large rivers, saline morasses, creeks, lagoons, in- 

 land seas, and large lakes. 



1933— 1935.— Thb Flamingo 



(Pheenicoptents ruber, Linn). Phoenicopterus an- 

 tiquorum, Temminck ; le Flammant of the French. 

 The European Flamingo, a bird well known to the 

 ancients, has been occasionally observed on the 

 coast of France washed by the Mediterranean, of 

 those of Spain and Italy, ft is noted by the Prince 

 of Canino as a rare and accidental visitor near 

 Rome. It arrives at uncertain times, but mostly in 

 October and November, on the Persian side of the 

 Caspian Sea, and thence along the west coast as fat 

 as the Wolga, appearing in considerable flocks, 

 which have migrated from more northern latitudes. 

 It is found in India, and Colonel Sykes enumerates- 

 it among the birds of the Dukhun, stating that it is 

 called Rajah Huns by the Hindoos. It breeds in 

 the Cape de Verde Islands. It is seen everywhere 

 on the African coast, and is abundant in South 

 Africa ; Le Vaillant saw thousands of flamingoes 

 and pelicans of the river Klein-brak, where the 

 water is brackish owing to the tidal flow from the 

 ocean. Kolben also speaks of their numbers at the 

 Cape, where by day they resorted to the borders of 

 lakes and river, and lodged at night among the long 

 grass on the hills. 



The flamingo is extremely shy, wary, and distrust- 

 ful, so that it IS difficult to approach within gun-shot 

 of a flock, as on the slightest alarm they abruptly 

 leave the spot. Dampier, however, by concealing 

 himself, managed to kill fourteen at once. Whilst 

 feeding, those birds keep together, drawn up in lines, 

 with sentinels by way of security. These notify the 

 approach of danger by a loud trumpet-like noise,, 

 which may be heard to a great distance, upon which 

 the whole flock take wing. When flying, they form 

 a triangle. The flamingo rests standing on one 

 leg, the other being drawn up close to the body, and 

 the head placed under the wing. 



M. dela Marmora, in his 'Voyage to Sardinia,' 

 gives the following account of the habits of this re- 

 markable bird : — " It quits Sardinia about the end of 

 March, to return about the middle of August ; then 

 it is that from the bastion which forms the promenade 

 of the inhabitants of Cagliari, flights of these mag- 

 nificent birds may be seen to arrive from Africa. 

 Disposed in a triangular band, they appear at first 

 in the heavens like a line of fire ; they advance in 

 the most regular order, but at the sight of the 

 neighbouring lake there is a pause in their progres- 

 sion, and they appear for a moment immoveable in 

 the air ; then tracing by a slow and circular move- 

 ment a reversed conical spiral figure, they attain the 

 end of their migration. Brilliant in ail the splen- 

 dour of their plumage, and ranged in a line, these- 

 birds offer a new spectacle and represent a small 

 army ranged in order of battle, the uniformity and 

 symmetry of which leaves nothing to be desired ; 

 but the spectator should content himself with ob- 

 serving this peaceful colony from afar. Woe to him 

 if he dare approach the lake at this deadly season." 

 The exemption of various animals, the flamingo and 

 buffalo for example, from the poison of the malaria, 

 so fatal to man, is very remarkable. 



The flamingo makes a singular nest, constructing- 

 it of earth, in the shape of a hillock, with a cavity 

 at the top ; the eggs are two or three in number,, 

 white, and as large as those of a goose, but of a 

 longer figure. These hillocks they form in the 

 marshes, the female resting upon them during in- 

 cubation in a standing attitude, with the feet on the 

 marshy ground, or even in the water. Some state 

 that the flesh of the flamingo is excellent, that of 

 the young being equal to partridge. The inhabit- 

 ants of Provence, however, affirm that it is fishy, 

 and reject it, preserving only the feathers. The 

 Romans, whose taste in culinary matter seems to 

 have been singular, regarded this bird as a luxury, 

 and Apicius has left receipts for dressing it with all 

 the precision of a " chef de cuisine." The brains 

 and tongues were especial favourites, particularly 

 the latter, which formed one of the celebrated 

 dishes of Heliogabalus. Dampier confirms the' 

 opinion of the Roman epicures, observing that a 

 dish of these tongues is worthy a place at a prince's 

 table. The height of the flamingo, standing erect, is 

 between five and six feet. When in full plumage 

 the general colour is deep scarlet, excepting the 

 quill-feathers, which are black. Basal part of the 

 bill reddish yellow ; the greater part of the ex- 

 tremity black ; cere at the base of the bill, extending 

 to the eye, fles'n-coloured. Legs red. An allied 

 species, regarded by Linnaeus and Wilson as identi- 

 cal with the present, is an inhabitant of the warmer 

 parts of North America, Peru, Chili, Cayenne, the 

 West India Islands, and especially the Bahamas, 

 i where numbers breed. It scarcely differs from the 

 I Old World bird, but is not so intensely coloured ; 



