366 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE . 



position it may be placed it is generally made of dry 

 reeds and weeds. 



The Spoonbill is considerably smaller than the 

 Heron, and differs very much in appearance from 

 that bird, in consequence of its very oddly-shaped 

 beak, which is long and flat, swelling out at the tip 

 into a broad flat spoon- shaped form, from which the 

 bird takes its name : it is black, except the rounded 

 part, which is yellow, as is the naked skin on the 

 chin ; the tongue is very small in proportion to the 

 beak; in the adult bird the irides are red, in the 

 young bird of the year they appear to be light grey* 

 or hazel ; t in the adult bird the whole of the plumage 

 is white, except a band of feathers at the bottom of 

 the neck in front, which is of a buff colour this tint 

 extends upwards on each side ; the feathers at the 

 back of the head are very long, forming a crest ; the 

 legs, toes and claws are black, the two outer toes are 

 connected by a membrane. In the young bird of the 

 year the shafts and tips of the primary quills are 

 black, as are the shafts of the greater wing-coverts, 

 and there is no crest. 



The eggs, according to Yarrell, are white, spotted 

 with pale reddish brown ; but in Meyer's picture of 

 the egg there are no spots. 



* ' Zoologist' for 1865, p. 9406. 

 f Id., 1866 (Second Series, p. 36). 



