WHITE SPOONBILL. 



603 



culiarity was not found, and I have been told of another 

 instance in which this structure was wanting, though the 

 bird \vas examined by those who had found this anatomical 

 peculiarity in every example of the species they had pre- 

 viously examined. I am therefore induced to suppose, 

 that as this formation of the vocal organs is known to 

 exist in old females as well as in old males, that, like the 

 occipital crest, neither sex obtain it till they have acquired 

 a certain degree of maturity. 



The representation below is one third less than the 

 natural size. 



