188 



NATURAL HISTORY. 



are to be considered as forming one family only, 

 as follows : 



They may, however, be divided into two sub-families, 



THE FIRST SUB-FAMILY OF THE PLATALEID^E. THE SPOONBILLS (Plataleina). 

 The extraordinary bill separates these birds from all their near allies. It is long and flat, 

 v/idening out at the tip in a spoon-shaped apex, whence the birds derive their name. Only half a 



SPOONBILL. 



dozen species of Spoonbills are known to science, but the genus occurs in every quarter of the globe, 

 excepting in the northern parts. Thus, it is not found in the north of Europe, and only in the southern 

 states of North America. The Spoonbill comes to England now only as a straggling visitor, but was 

 formerly more plentiful. It has, doubtless, retired on the draining of the fens, which rendered it diffi- 

 cult to find sufficiently suitable breeding-places. In Holland it still nests, though even there it is 

 becoming rarer, as the lakes become drained. In certain places it is known to breed in lofty trees, 

 but in Holland it nests on the ground among reed-beds, and an interesting account is given by Dr. 

 Sclater and Mr. Forbes of a visit paid by them to a large mere called the " Horster Meer," between 

 Utrecht and Amsterdam. The lake is farmed out at a considerable rent for the sake of the fish, reeds, 



