SUOVELER, OR SPOONBILL. 147 



lower mandible are grooved so as to receive distinctly 

 the long separated reed-like teeth ; there is also a 

 gibbosity in the two mandibles which do not meet at 

 the sides, and this vacuity is occupied by the sifters 

 just mentioned. Head and upper half of the neck 

 glossy, changeable green ; rest of the neck and breast 

 white, passing around and nearly meeting above ; whole 

 belly, dark reddish chestnut ; flanks a brownish yellow, 

 penciled transversely with black, between which and the 

 vent, which is black and white, is a band of white ; back 

 blackish brown ; exterior edge of the scapulars white ; 

 lesser wing coverts and some of the tertials, a fine light 

 sky-blue ; beauty spot on the wing a changeable, re- 

 splendent, bronze green, bordered above by a band of 

 white, and below another of velvety black ; rest of the 

 wing, dusky ; some of the tertials streaked down their 

 middles with white ; tail dusky, pointed, broadly edged 

 with white ; legs and feet, reddish orange ; hind toe 

 not finned. 



The female lias a crown of dusky brown ; rest of the 

 head and neck, yellowish white, thickly spotted with 

 dark brown ; these spots on the breast become larger 

 and crescent shaped. Back and scapulars dark brown ; 

 edged and centered with yellow ochre ; belly, slightly 

 rufous, mixed with white ; wings nearly as in the male. 



