I'LATALIJID.K — TIIK Hl'UUNHILLH - AJAIA. 



105 



us far ntii-th ixs Ti'xuh. It ffcds on Hshcs and insects, wliidi it hunts in the wator. 

 Its coniniiin nanit's iin- "(iaiza Cnlinaila," •• HNpatiila." rtf. 



l)r. Ilt'nry Krvant, wiio visitcil rimida in 1.S.1.S, states thai at tiie time of Ids visit 

 till' Ikiiseate S|Kii)nl)iil was lireedinK in siieh innulxTH at Indian Itiver tiiat in- lias 

 known one person to kill as many as sixty in a sinj,de day. The win;,'-leatliers. hein;,' 

 laiK'i'ly iiseil in the manulaetnie of I'ans, were selling at I'mm one dollar to one and a 

 half for a HiuK'le pair. Ho adds that tld« bird eonimenees Itrecdin^ at I'elican Island 

 in Felirnary. havinj,' e^'^'s as early as the ndddle of that month, the younj,' l)t'inj,' 

 nearly Hed^'etl hy the 1st of April, (hi the loth of that month he found one nest 

 containini,' an e),% All the rest were either empty, or the youni,' were on the point 

 of IcaviuK them. Tiiis I'gg uieasured '_*.."»(> inidies in h'n]L;th. and l.."»(i inches in breadth, 

 ami was of an elonj,'ated oval form, the dilTerence between the two ends beinj,' stron^dy 

 marked. The j,'round color he h'wvh as white, sprinkled all over with bri^dit rufous 

 spots of diftVront sizes, forniinj,' a rinj? near the lir>;e end. Dr. lUyant also met with 

 a few at the Hindnis, Itahama, where they were said to breed. 



Mr. (i. ('. Taylor (Ibis, l.SdL'), who visited Florida three years after Dr. IJryant, 

 states that whih", only a few years i)revious to his visit, this species had been very 

 plcntifid on Indian Hiver, their nund»er had id' late become j,'reatly ilinunishcd, 

 owin;,' to the destruction of them for the sake <d' their w iuj^'s. lie was informed 

 that after breeding,' on Indian Kivcr it moves northwards, and remains duiinj,' the 

 summer in the salt-marshes about Smyrna. He saw a living;' bird that had been 

 brou^dit up from Indian Uiver a year previous. It was (piite tame, and associated 

 freely with the jjoultry. While he was staying,' at Smyrna a person l)rouj,dit with 

 him four youn^' Spoonliills from Imiian Kiver which had been taken from their ne.st 

 a short time previously. There apfieared to be no ditHeulty in rearing,' them. 



Audidion states that it is randy nu't with as far north as the Carolinas. Dr. 

 Hachman, (Uirinj^ twenty years' observation, knew of Imt three instances. In one 

 of these lie obtained an individual in full pluma,i,'e ten miles north of Charleston. 

 He found it wintcriu),' amon^' the keys near Cape Sable, where it remained imtil 

 nearly the 1st of March, livin,L( chieHy alouj; the watercourses and not far from 

 the coast; they were not seen either winteriuj^ or breeding in the interior. 



It is to 1)(! met with, for the most part, along the nuirshy or muddy borders of 

 estuaries, the nn)utlis of rivers, on sea islands, or k(!ys partially overthrown with 

 bushes, and still more abunihintly alon^' the sluu'es of the salt-water bayous so com- 

 mon within a ndle or two of the shore. There the Spoonbill can reside and breed, 

 with almost complete security, in the nddst of an abundance of food. It is said to 

 be t^rcijjarious at all st-asons, and that seldom less than half a dozen may be seen 

 to<,'ether, unless they have been dispersed by a tempest. At the api)roa(di of the 

 breeding-season these snuill flocks collect together, fornnng immense collections, after 

 the manner of the H)is, and resort to their former breeding-places, to whi(di they 

 almost invariably return. Their moult takes place late in ^lay ; during this time the 

 young of the previous year conceal themselves among tlu^ mangroves, there sj)ending 

 tile day, and returning at night to tlndr feeding-grounds, but keeping apart from the 

 old birds, whicdi last have passed through their spring moult early in March. Like 

 the several species of Ibis, this bird is said occasionally to rise suddenly on the wing, 

 and ascend gradually, in a spiral manner, to a great height. It flies with its neck 

 stretched forward to its full length, and its legs and feet extended behind. It moves 

 in the manner of a Heron, with easy flappings, until just as it is about to alight, when 

 it sails over the spot with exitanded wing, and conu'S gradually to the ground. It 

 flies in a confused manner, except Avhen on one of its extended movements. 



VOL, I. — 14 



