THE COLONY OF SPOONBILLS NEAR AMSTERDAM. 459 
disappointed not to see a crowd of birds. Occasionally we saw 
a Black Tern or a Cormorant, and at length had the pleasure of 
seeing two pairs of Spoonbills. On landing we found ourselves 
on marshy ground, thickly overgrown with reeds and Carices, 
amongst which were growing two rare species of British ferns, 
Lastrea thelipteris, abundantly, and Lastrea cristata, sparingly. 
The ground was also diversified with a considerable variety of 
wild flowers, such as marsh mallow, ragged robin, &c. For some 
distance we passed amongst alder- and willow-bushes, but beyond 
was open ground leading to the Meer. In our ignorance we made 
for this open ground, disturbing a large flock of perhaps five 
hundred Cormorants. We could see their nests in the distance, 
but passed them by in pursuit of the Spoonbills. 
Suddenly we came upon the object of our search. A flock of 
‘at least two or three hundred of these curious birds rose behind 
the alder-bushes, their white wings glittering in the sun, in strong 
contrast to their black legs stretched out behind, and their dark 
bills projecting so conspicuously in front. For some time they 
flew about like the Gannets at the Bass Rock, but we detected no 
cry from them; indeed, they seem to be remarkably silent birds.* 
We made for the direction from which they rose, keeping to the 
open ground, and looking in vain for the nests, being misled by 
our guide, who was evidently entirely ignorant of their breeding 
haunts, though living almost within gunshot of them. We 
carefully searched the ground as near to the Meer as we could 
go without actually wading, until we had long passed the place 
from which the flock must have risen. Finding nothing we 
turned our backs upon our guide and returned to the alder- 
bushes. Here we came upon three nests; one that of a Spoonbill 
on a grassy tussock, containing one egg; the second that of a 
Purple Heron, about four feet from the ground, containing two 
eggs; and the third another Spoonbill’s nest, with one egg, ina 
similar situation to that of the Heron. All these nests were 
alike—a few sticks outside, a principal structure of reeds, and a 
lining of dead grass. 
* Since writing the above, Mr. Harting has called my attention to a notice of 
the peculiar formation of the vocal organs of the Spoonbill (Yarrell, Hist. Brit. Birds, 
ed. 3, vol. ii., p. 602), where it is stated, ‘This bird is one of the very few which 
has been found to possess no true muscles of the organs of voice, and no modulation 
of its single tone appears to be possessed by the bird,” 
