5S cassell's book of birds. 



Cuvier actually discovered the remains of a snake within the body of a mummied Ibis ; recent 

 specimens, however, seldom contain anything but molluscs and insects. Some seem to feed entirely 

 on fishes and aquatic insects, of which they destroy far more than they can possibly consume ; and 

 it is not uncommon for them, when tired of killing fish and fully satiated, to leave the rest to be 

 devoured by birds of prey or some of the other frequenters of the water. When desirous of procuring 

 food of this description, they walk with a slow firm step, and in large parties, through shallow muddy 

 lakes, and when they have discovered a suitable and well-stored spot, they dance, as it were, all 

 through it, stirring up the mud at the bottom with their feet. The victims as they rise to the surface 

 are immediately struck with the long beak and deprived of life. In the course of a very short time 

 hundreds of fishes, frogs, and reptiles cover Ehe surface, and are greedily swallowed till the birds 

 become perfectly gorged. We were fortunate enough to discover a breeding settlement on a small 

 island in the White Nile, and found that the Ibises had built principally on the branches of a very 

 thomy and thickly-foliaged species of mimosa, called by the natives " Harahri." The nests were flat, 

 loosely constructed of thin twigs and grass, and placed close together on the densest branches. The 

 three or four white coarse-shelled eggs were of about the size of those laid by the Domestic Hen. 



The SPOONBILLS {Platakd) constitute a small group of very remarkable birds, possessing a 

 powerful body, moderate-sized, strong neck, and small head ; the long almost straight beak is flat and 

 spoon-shaped towards its extremity, its interior is grooved, and the upper mandible hooked and nail- 

 like at its tip. The strong, medium-sized foot has the three anterior toes much webbed, and 

 furnished with small blunt claws. The wings are large and broad, and have the second quill longer 

 than the rest ; the tail is short, rounded, and composed of twelve feathers. The remarkably thick 

 plumage does not vary either in the sexes or at different seasons, but changes its hue somewhat as 

 the birds become older. The. back of the head is adorned with a crest, and the upper throat is bare ; 

 in some instances a portion of the crown is also unfeathered. The members of this group occupy 

 almost every portion of the globe, and resemble each other very closely in their mode of life 



and habits. 



THE COMMON SPOONBILL. 



The Common Spoonbill (Piatalea leucorodid) has a portion of the throat bare, and the head 

 adorned with a flowing crest. The plumage of this bird is entirely pure white, except a yellowish 

 stripe around the crop. The eye is carmine-red, the beak black tipped with yellow, the foot black, 

 the eye-ring yellowish green, and the throat greenish yellow. The female is smaller than her mate ; 

 the young are without the yellow patch on the breast, and have no crest. This species is from thirty 

 to thirty-one inches long, and fifty-two inches broad ; the wing measures seventeen, and the tail 

 five inches. 



Such of these remarkable birds as inhabit Central Asia remain throughout the entire year ; 

 whilst those frequenting more northern latitudes arrive with the Storks about March or April, 

 and leave about August or September. During the course of these wanderings, the British Islands 

 are occasionally, but rarely, visited. As with the Ibises, the migrating flocks assume the form of two 

 diverging lines, and usually travel in the day, resting from time to time in such localities as afford 

 a good supply of food. The shores of rivers and lakes, marsh land, or slimy muddy spots upon the 

 coast are the favourite resorts of the Spoonbill, and around these it is constantly to be seen stalking 

 slowly, or wading with body bent and bill waving from side to side as it searches amongst the mud, 

 or snatches from the water the fish, crabs, mussels, snails, small reptiles, and aquatic insects on which 

 it mainly subsists. This bird, however, has a very decided preference for fish diet, and exhibits 

 wonderful dexterity in disposing of the slippery prey, even if five or six inches in length, seizing 



