190 ROSEATE SPOONBILL. 
their roseate tints exhibit a richer glow, which is surpassed only by 
the brillianey of the Scarlet Ibis, and American Flamingo. 
This beautiful bird is usually fond of the company of our different 
Herons, whose keen sight and vigilance are useful to it in apprising it 
of danger, and allowing it to take flight in due time. When the Spoon- 
bills are by themselves and feeding, they can easily be approached by 
those who, like yourself perhaps, are expert at crawling over the mud 
on hands and knees, through the tall and keen-edged saw-grass. I 
well recollect my own success when, after having seen three of these 
precious birds alight on their feeding grounds, about a quarter of a 
mile from where I stood, I managed after something short of half 
an hour to get within shot of them. Then, after viewing them for a 
while unseen, I touched one of my triggers, and two of them fell upon 
the surface of the shallow water. The other might, I believe, have 
been as easily shot, for it stood, as I have seen Wild Turkey cocks 
do on like occasions, looking with curious intensity as it were upon its 
massacred friends, until, seeing me get up and wade towards them, it 
hurriedly extended its broad wings, and flew off towards the sea-shore. 
When wounded in the wing, they make towards deeper water, and, if 
closely pursued, will swim to some distance, but without ever attempting 
to dive, and when at last seized, offer no resistance. On the contrary, 
if their wings are uninjured, though they may otherwise be severely 
wounded, they rise and fly to a great distance, or drop while on the 
way. I have considered these birds as tough to kill, and, when on 
open ground, even without being in company with Herons, as difficult 
of approach. They are as nocturnal as the night Heron, and, although 
they seek for food at times during the middle of the day, their princi- 
pal feeding time is from near sunset until daylight. To all such feed- 
ing grounds as are exposed to the tides, they betake themselves when 
it is low water, and search for food along the shallow margins until 
driven off by the returning tide. Few birds are better aware of the 
hours at which the waters are high or low, and when it is near ebb 
you see them wending their way to the shore. Whenever a feeding 
place seems to be productive, the Spoonbills are wont to return to it 
until they have been much disturbed, and persons aware of this fact 
may waylay them with success, as at such times one may shoot them 
while passing over head. To procure their food, the Spoonbills first 
generally alight near the water, into which they then wade up to the 
