SPOONBILL. GRALLATORES. PLATALEA. 51 



near to, and connects it with, that of Natatores. The birds 

 of this genus breed in high trees, in the vicinity of the rivers 

 or lakes they frequent ; or, in failure of these, in the reeds 

 and aquatic herbage of extensive marshes. Their moulting 

 is simple, and the young do not acquire the adult plumage 

 before the third year. Three species are known, each pos- 

 sessing a distinct geographical disposition, viz. the White 

 Spoonbill (S. Platalea leucorodia), inhabiting Europe and 

 continental Asia ; S. Platalea ajaja, confined to America ; and 

 another, which is found in the Philippine and other Asiatic 

 Islands. 



WHITE SPOONBILL. 



PLATALEA LEUCORODIA, Linn. 

 PLATE X. 



Platalea leucorodia, Linn. Syst. 1. 231. 1 Gmel. Syst. 1. 613. Lath. 



Ind. Ornith. 2. 667. 1 Shaw's Zool. 11. 642. pL 52. in the immature 



plumnge Lesson, Man. 2. 246. 



Platea seu Pelecanus, Aldrov., Rail Syn. 102. 1. Briss.5. 352. 1. 

 Le Spatule, Buff. Ois. 7- 448. 

 Spatule blanche, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 2. 595. 

 Wiesser Loffler, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. 4. 4. t. 17- 

 Platalea nivea, Cuv. Heg. Anim. 1. p. 482. 

 Spoonbill or Pelican, Will. (Angl.) 288. t. 52. 

 White Spoonbill, Br. Zool. App. t. 9 Arct. Zool. 2. 441. A Id. Sup. 



66 Lath. Syn. 5. 13. 1 Mont. Ornith. Diet, and Sup Shaw's Zool. 



11. 642. pi. 52 Bewick's Br. Birds, 2. t. p. 25. 



THE visits of this singular bird to our shores are uncer- Rare 

 tain, and frequently at distant intervals. PENNANT men- vlsltan 

 tions a flock that appeared in the marshes near Yarmouth, 

 in April 1774 ; and MONTAGU states, that it had sometimes 

 been seen, during winter, on the coast of South Devon. 

 This indeed is corroborated afterwards (in the Supplement 

 to his Ornithological Dictionary), by the fact of his receiving 

 two specimens from that part of England, the first killed in 



