THE SPOONBILL. 



OF the Spoonbill, which has sometimes erro- 

 neously been called the Shoveller (the real Sho- 

 veller being a bird of the duck tribe), there are 

 three species. The first of these is the Roseate 

 Spoonbill, which has beautiful red plumage, 

 with a collar of black at the lower part of the 

 neck. The second is called the Dwarf Spoon- 

 bill, and is about the size of a sparrow. Its 

 body is brown above, and white beneath. The 

 most cpmmon species, however, is that which 

 bears the name of the White Spoonbill, from 

 its plumage, except in some rare instances, be- 

 ing entirely white. This bird is about the size 

 of a heron, but somewhat shorter in the neck 

 and legs. The bill is more than half a foot in 

 length, and has the shape of a spoon. Their 

 food is fish, which they often take from other 

 birds, in the manner of the bald eagle ; also 

 mussels and other shell fish, and they will 

 also destroy frogs and snakes. 



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