WHITE STORK. WHITE SPOONBILL. 1 39 



deed, in a similar manner as we observe the more gigantic 

 members of this family walking completely at home amidst the 

 population in the warm climates of Southern Asia, we may also 

 see the stork in Holland and Belgium performing the duties 

 of a scavenger, at early dawn flying over the streets, and 

 stopping to pick up whatever garbage may appear. 



Very common in temperate Europe, the stork occa- 

 sionally appears in considerable flocks whilst performing its 

 migrations ; and at times becoming so fatigued that, according 

 to M. Hollandre, they appeared in hundreds in a wood be- 

 tween Gorze and Rezonville, and were so unable to proceed 

 that nearly forty were killed, and numbers taken with the hand.* 



Possessing great affection for its young, instances have oc- 

 curred where the house in which the stork had its nest acci- 

 dentally caught fire, and the parent, unable to save its off- 

 spring, perished with them. 



This species, although not possessing that compactness of 

 plumage which we see in the other herons, and not, perhaps, 

 of so graceful an appearance, yet few of the birds admitted to 

 a place in our Fauna have the colours more chastely disposed 

 than the stork : its crimson-red bill and legs contrasting 

 beautifully with the spotless white plumage of the body, and 

 the glossy black of the wing-covers. 



On many occasions we have seen the stork strung up like 

 a feathered felon in the London markets, and could not help 

 contrasting the position of the birds there and in Holland, 

 where we see them tamed, and walking amidst the purchasers 

 in the public markets. 



Habitat Northern Africa. 



GENUS LXVIII. PLATALEA (SPOONBILL). 

 SPECIES 131 THE WHITE SPOONBILL. 



Platalea leucorodia. Linn. 

 Spatule blanche. Temm. 



IN the spoonbill we again see the white colour of the plumage 

 similar to the stork and egret, which it also resembles in 

 the rarity of its occurrence. 



Attracting more attention for the curious spoon -shaped 

 bill than others of the family not possessing such a remarka- 

 ble appearance, is, perhaps, the reason why the spoonbill has 

 been obtained in a greater proportion than the others, as no 

 less than twelvef have been shot and preserved in various 



* Faune de la Moselle. t Thompson. 



