

IBIDIXJE. PLATALEA. 141 



Curlews. Although many individuals have been obtained in 

 England, it ranks there only as a straggler. 



Tantalus Falcinellus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 241 ; Tantalus 

 Falcinellus, igneus, and viridis, Lath. Ind. Ornith. ii. 707. 

 Ibis Falcinellus, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. ii. 598. Ibis Falci- 

 nellus, Glossy Ibis, MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, v. 



GENUS CXIX. PLATALEA. SPOONBILL. 



The Spoonbills may be said to be Ibises, with the bill 

 flattened and expanded, toward the extremity. They are 

 birds of rather large size, having the body ovate, the neck 

 long, and rather slender ; the head of moderate size, ovate, 

 and flattened above, but little compressed. Bill very long, 

 nearly straight, extremely depressed, nearly as broad as the 

 head at the base, gradually narrowed toward the middle, 

 then expanding into an obovate disk, much broader than the 

 head ; but when viewed laterally extremely slender, unless 

 at the base ; both mandibles covered with a thin and soft 

 skin ; the gape-line nearly straight. Mouth rather narrow ; 

 both mandibles internally flattened, with a medial groove, 

 and beautifully marked with very narrow elevated lines, and 

 grooves parallel to the margins ; tongue extremely small, 

 broader than long ; a dilatable gular sac of small extent : 

 oesophagus rather wide ; proventriculus bulbiform ; stomach 

 rather large, roundish, with the muscular coat thick, its fibres 

 disposed in large fasciculi, the tendons very large, the epi- 

 thelium very thick, but rather soft ; intestine very long, and 

 of moderate width ; two extremely short coeca ; cloaca large, 

 and globular. Nostrils linear- elliptical, subbasal, vertical. 

 Eyes small, in a bare space which extends to the bill. Aper- 

 ture of ear rather small and roundish. Legs long, rather 

 slender ; tibia bare in its lower half, reticulate ; tarsus 

 stoutish, reticulated ; toes rather long, moderately stout, the 

 first on the same plane as the rest, the anterior connected 

 by basal webs, all scutellate ; claws small, slightly arched, 

 compressed, tapering, pointed. The bare space on the head 

 varies in extent, in one species including the whole head 

 and part of the neck. Plumage moderate ; feathers of the 

 head and neck slender ; wings large, of about thirty quills ; 



