PLATALEID^J. 



Genus EUDOCIMUS, Wagler. 

 Eudocimus albus (Linn.). 



Ibis alba, Thien. Fortpflanz. ges. Vog. tab. Lxviii. fig. 2, a, b (1845-54). 

 Eudocimus albus, Baird, Brewer 8f Ridgiu. Water Birds N. Am. i. p. 89 



(1884) ; Sharps, Cat. Birds B. M. xxvi. p. 39 (1898) ; id. Hand-l. i. 



p. 188 (1899). 



The eggs of the American White Ibis are of a blunt oval form 

 approaching the elliptical, and they have no gloss. The four ex- 

 amples in the Collection vary considerably in coloration. Three 

 have a greyish-white ground. Of these, one is marked equally all 

 over with spots and small blotches of reddish brown and underlying 

 purple, the markings of this latter colour being extremely numerous 

 and prominent. The other two are marked with umber-brown and 

 pale rufous, the markings at the broad end being large, confluent, 

 and forming a dense cap in one specimen, some large patches in 

 the other. A fourth specimen is of a light huffish green, marked 

 with large blotches of umber-brown which coalesce at the larger 

 end. These four examples measure respectively : 2'12 by ' 1*45 ;. 

 2-19 by 1-47 ; 2-18 by 1-4 ; 2-1 by 1-5. 



1. North America. Salvin-Godman Coll. 



1. North America (Henshaw Coll.). Salvin-Godman Coll. 



2. North America (Smiths. Inst.}. Salvin-Godman Coll. 



Family PLATALEIDJE. 



Genus PLATALEA, Linn. 



Platalea leucerodia, Linn. . 



Platalea leucorodia, Thien. Fortpjlanz. ges. Vog. tab. Ixviii. fig. 6, a-f 

 (1845-54) ; Baedeker, Eier Eur. Vog. tab. 36. fig. 3 (1855-63) ; 

 Hewitson, Eggs of Brit. Birds, ii. p. 320, pi. Ixxxv. (1856) ; Dresser, 

 Bird* Eur. vi. p. 319 (1873); Legge, Birds Ceylon, p. 1096 (1880); 

 Seebohm, Brit. Birds, ii. p. 514, pi. 37 (1884) ; Gates ed. Hume, 

 Nests $ Eggs Ind. B. iii. p. 217 (1890) ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, p. 112 j 

 Seebohm, Eggs of Brit. Birds, p. 66, pi. 18. figs. 2, 3 (1896). 



Platalea leucerodia, Sharpe, Cat. Birds B. M. xxvi. p. 44 (1898) ; id, 

 Hand-l. i. p. 188 (1899). 



The eggs of the Spoonbill are typically of an elongated, pointed 

 shape, but some are biconical and a few are spheroidal. The shell 

 is rather coarse and without gloss. Tbe ground is white, frequently 

 tinged with yellow, and this is marked with spots, blotches, and 

 smudges of yellowish brown, reddish brown, dark brown, or black. 

 In some specimens the markings are evenly distributed over the 



