140 ARDEAD.E. 



collections over Ireland. Strange, also, from appearing in 

 small flocks, as many as seven birds have been observed 

 frequenting marshes in the county of Wexford ; but all 

 the birds composing the flock exhibited such wariness as not 

 to admit of sufficient approach to obtain one. Observed also 

 so far to the west as Kerry, where three specimens were ob- 

 tained out of a flock of five, on the strand of Rogerstown, 

 county of Dublin, two were remarked in company, one of 

 which fell to the gun of Mr. Patrick Boylan, of this city, by 

 whom it was presented to Mr. T. W. Warren, of Blessing- 

 ton-street. 



In habits nearly similar to the preceding species, the spoon- 

 bill occasionally becomes remarkably tame in confinement. 



A male bird, at one time in the possession of an ornitholo- 

 gical friend,* became so familiar as to proceed up stairs and 

 enter the breakfast -room regularly during meal hours, and ap- 

 propriate to itself, at all seasons, the hearth-rug, where it 

 would nestle down and enjoy the warmth of the fire. Hav- 

 ing at one time been scalded by accident, it ever after 

 evinced the utmost horror of the tea-urn, rising quickly 

 from its resting position, and walking away indignantly, not 

 returning until its enemy had been displaced, when it resumed 

 its position. If annoyed by young children, it walked quickly 

 round the room and selected an unoccupied chair, if at a dis- 

 tance from the wall, and, perching upon it, would take bread 

 from the hand, or bread and milk in a teacup. Its usual rest- 

 ing-place was the top of an old pump in the centre of an out- 

 yard, on which perch it would often remain motionless for 

 hours. 



Not an uninteresting circumstance connected with the 

 spoonbill is the immense number of eggs which we see in the 

 stores of the dealers in London and Paris. In the latter 

 city, during the summer of 1851, we remarked nearly 200 in 

 the boxes of a single dealer. 



Breeding at a remote period in the marshes of England, 

 it is now only known as an extremely rare visitant, although 

 incorrectly remarked by Degland as breeding at the present 

 time in considerable numbers in the fens of Lincolnshire. 



Habitat Northern Africa. 



* Mr. D. S. Bryan. 



