SPOONBILL. 515 



north of lat. 48°; tut it is a regular summer visitor to the southem 

 portions of Dauria and the valley of the Amoor, breeding also in South- 

 east Mongolia, and occasionally occurring in various parts of China 

 and Japan*. It is an accidental visitor to the Azores, Madeira, and the 

 Canaries, and is a resident throughout North Africa as far south as the 

 Soudan. In Greece, Asia Minor, and Palestine it is principally known as 

 passing ' through on migration. It is a rare bird in Persia ; but breeds 

 throughout India and Ceylon. The Spoonbill has several near allies in 

 South Africa, Australia, and America, all of which may be distinguished 

 by having the face bare of feathers. 



The migration of the Spoonbill into Europe from Africa commences at 

 Tangiers in March ; it arrives in South Spain in the middle of April, but 

 does not reach its breeding-grounds in Holland and the valley of the 

 Danube till early in May. Its arrival in the east of Europe is at about the 

 same date as in the west. It leaves its breeding-grounds in Holland in 

 September, and has been observed at Gibraltar as late as November. 



The Spoonbill frequents open swamps and low-lying ground near 

 the sea, rather than the centre of dense reed-beds and rush-covered 

 marshes. It may sometimes be seen in swampy meadows, in similar 

 localities to those the White Stork loves to frequent. It walks about 

 slowly and sedately, and when alarmed often flies to a tall tree, where, 

 perched perhaps on the topmost bough, it is a very conspicuous object 

 for a great distance. It is very fond of frequenting mud-flats, searching 

 them with its peculiar bill for food. It is rather shy, and seldom 

 allows the observer to approach it very closely. The food of the Spoon- 

 bill is very largely composed of crustaceans, moUusks, and small insects, 

 which it catches in its broad bill, using it in the same manner that a Duck 

 does. To this fare is added small fish, frogs, and quantities of vegetable 

 matter, such as the buds and leaves of water-plants and probably grass. 

 The Spoonbill does not appear to ever utter any note, beyond making a 

 sharp snapping sound with its bill. It does not possess any true muscles 



* Temminck and Schlegel described two supposed new species of Spooiibill from Japan. 

 An adult male collected by Captain Blaiiston at Hakodadi in April belongs to the European 

 snecies of whicb Platalea majm- of Temminck is undoubtedly a young bird, tbe primaries 

 not having yet been moulted. In a paper on the ornithology of Japan (' Ibis,' 1882, 

 p. 370) I made the mistake of identifying Swinhoe's examples from Formosa with this 

 species • they belong undoubtedly to P. minor of Temminck, which species is founded 

 on immature examples of the previously described P. regia from Australia. This species 

 differs from our bird in being slightly smaller, in having the bare space on the forehead and 

 sides of the head extending to the eye, and in having the gular pouch feathered to the 

 base of the lower mandible, beyond which the chin is black. The signs of immaturity 

 are the same as in the Common Spoonbill. By an unaccountable oversight. Dresser, in 

 his ' Birds of Europe,' has omitted any mention of the immature stage of plumage, though 

 it is described and figui-ed by Naumann. 



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