Birds. 7437 



panded wings, to show the peculiar black shafts) ; the other he woiindtd, but on 

 account of the extent of slob uncovered by the receding tide it escaped, and Las not 

 since been beard of; probably it died, and was carried away by the winter floods, 

 which in the Baiidon are very powerful on the fall of the tide, which rises to a con- 

 siderable height, and pushes its waters as far as Innishanuon Bridge, enabling coal 

 vessels to sail up. About the same time another was shot by Mr. Tbomas Hunger- 

 ford, of the Island, Clonakilty, County Cork, which he has also presented. These 

 three birds were immature males, and I presume birds of the second year. What 

 impresses me with this idea is the /act that three other specimens have been sent to 

 Mr. Glennon, of Suffolk Street, to be preserved, all of which were males. They were 

 smaller than the specimen before you, and not so white ; they are probably of the 

 same age as the living specimens which may be seen at the Zoological Gardens. On 

 coDsulting Mr. Yarrell's work, and others relating to the spoonbills, it will be found 

 that considerable differences are apparent between the immature and adult bird, the 

 most remarkable of which is the ciest or mane of elongated feathers of the occiput and 

 neck in the adult birds, while in the present specimens there is but a very partial elon- 

 gation. The colour of these is altogether white, except the shafts of the wing-feathers, 

 but in the adult a band of buflf feathers covers the breast, extending upwards. The 

 colour of the eye of the young birds is ashy gray, in the adult it is orange-red ; and pro- 

 bably the same takes place in the eyes of other birds that, when mature, are of a bright 

 red or yellow, as in the case of the Egyptian goose, &c. We aie told also that there 

 is a cere round the eyes to the base of the beak, which in the immature biids is covered 

 with feathers. Fortunately for our information, these birds all fell into the hands of 

 inquiring observers, and it was thought advisable to examine the contents of the 

 stomachs, to find on what these birds subsisted at a season the most inclement for 

 several years, and on which the birds were in fine condition. In the works that I 

 have been able to consult, the food is set down as small Crustacea, molliisks, spawn 

 of fishes, ckc. ; but in none except Morris, who says, in addition, they eat grasses and 

 the roots of plants, do I find any mention of what all these birds' stomachs contained, 

 which was vegetable matter, probably some of the marsh grasses. No traces of Crus- 

 tacea or animal matter were found. Now, looking to the conformation of its beak, 

 armed with a sharp broad nail at the end, I do not see why vegetable substances 

 should not form a portion of their food, as iu the case of the duck tribe, the palate and 

 sides of whose beaks are not very dissimilar, and therein perhaps we may find a pro- 

 vi.sioD of Nature by which the bird, in the absence of more favourite food, may adapt 

 itself to altered circumstances. In the late Mr. Thompson's work we find the records, 

 up to 1846, of the specimens shot in Ireland. I have heard that Dr. Harvey, of Cork, 

 is aware of one shot in that county in 1859, and another at Westport ; another was 

 shot at the mouth of the Boyne about the year 1854, by Reynolds, warrener to Mr. 

 James Brabazou, of Mornington, but unfortunately not preserved. It would seem 

 remarkable that, in the accounts published of the several captures, all the instances are 

 on the sea-board ; none in the inland counties, although extensive lakes and marshes 

 abound, ihe resort of birds feeding similarly. The records of Thompson show that in 

 1808 one was shot in the County Antrim ; two in Donegal, iu 1837 and 1838 ; one in 

 the County Dublin, near Malahide (the specimen in the Society's collection), in No- 

 vember, 1841 ; one in County Wicklow, in October, 1844 ; three in County Wexford, 

 in 1836, 1840 and 1844; three in County Waterford, iu 1829, 1843 and 1845; 

 two in County Kerry, in 1832 and 1846. To the foregoing list three, shot in 



