190 CICONIiE. 



Genus PLATALEA. 

 PlatdKa=the Spoonbill, in Cicero, N.D., ii. 49, 124. PldlSa, in Pliny, H.N., x. 40, 56, 

 probably from ir\oTi5s= broad. 



Bill like a spatula. Second quill longest. Region in front of eye naked. Legs 

 long. Tibia half naked. Tarsus reticulated throughout. Four toes, three 

 united to the second joint. Cosmopolitan. 



197. Platalea leucorodia. Thb Spoonbill. 



ic«cSrorfia= the late Latin form of \evKepuSL6s ; from Xeu(c6s= white, 4paSi.is=B, Heron. 

 Chamach buza, India; Chinta, Bengal; Gentu muku konga (Telugu) ; Chapy 

 Chundun, Ceylon. 



^ 31" to 38". Legs black. Bill 8", black, tip yellow. — In summer: Rose- 

 white. Long nuchal crest of pointed and drooping plumes. Breast-patch buff- 

 yellow, extending towards back. — In winter: Crest -plumes wanting. — Female 

 smaller. C. and S. Europe, E. Africa, S.W. Asia, Afghanistan, Baluchistan, and 

 C. Asia, to China and India. Resident in India. Breeds in the Deccan, Sind, 

 N.W.P., and Ceylon. Four eggs (2-7 x 1-81), chalky, spotted brown. (J. 939- 

 B. 1545.) 



Also P. regia. 34". With orange mark over each eye. From Australia. 



P. alba. 28". With forehead and chin yellow. From Africa and Madagascar. 



P. minor. 27"- With forehead black, and yellow spot in front of eye. From Japan and China. 



Also the genus Platibis. With no crest. With ornamental plumes on neck, and tertiaries 

 decomposed as in an Ibis. One species — P. flarripes, 38", with dense tuft of long yellow feathers 

 on foreneek, confined to Australia. 



Also the genus Ajaja. With head entirely bare, and earholes exposed. No ornamental 

 plumes on neck. One species — A. ajaja, 25", tinged rosy, confined to America. 



Suborder CICONIiE. 



One notch on each side of posterior margin of breast-bone. Hind toe elevated, 

 though to a very variable extent ; in some it is scarcely raised at all, while in the 

 "White Stork, and especially in the Black Stork, the elevation is considerable. 

 Toes webbed at base, third and fourth especially. No pectination on mid claw. 

 No powder-down patches. No voice, but make sounds by snapping their bills. 



Family GICONIID^. Stoeks. 



BiU large, long, straight, and without any grooves. AU anterior toes joined at 

 base. Of large size. Legs long. Tibia half naked. Tarsus reticulated with 

 hexagonal scales. Over thirty remiges. Genys recurved, except in Tantdlidce. 

 Inhabit India and its Archipelago, Africa, and America. Flight powerful. A few 

 migratory and gregarious. Breed in lofty trees or on high buildings. Giants of 

 the Bird Kingdom. 



(i.) Under tail-coverts ordinary, not stiffened and not longer than tail. 



Genus CIOONIA. 

 Ciconla=a, Stork, in classical Latin. Cognate with cano = l sing, KiKvos = a, Swan, Kavax'^= 

 a, sharp sound, K6rapos=a. din. 



Bill convex above; genys inclining upwards. Crown and cheeks feathered. 

 Orbits naked. Toes strongly webbed. Claws short, broad, and depressed. Third 

 and fourth quills longest. Partially aquatic. Palaearctio, Ethiopian, and Indian 

 regions, but not reaching Australian region. 



