76 ROSEATE SPOONBILL. 



which it floundered about apparently in great agony. One of our boats 

 immediately pushed toward the spot, and my son was taken on board, while 

 the animal used its best efforts to get into deeper water. Now sailors and 

 all joined in the chase. The gun was again charged with balls, my son 

 waded once more towards it, and lodged the missiles in its body, while from 

 the bow of the boat it received several blows from the oars and gaff-hook. 

 The tars all leaped into the water, and the bleeding fish was at once closely 

 beset. The boatswain at a single lucky stroke cut off its tail, and having 

 afterwards fastened the hook in one of its eyes, we dragged it to the beach. 

 About a hundred Mexican prisoners, Texian soldiers, and officers, were 

 there; but instead of our prize turning out a shark, it proved to be a sawfish, 

 measuring rather more than twelve feet in length. From its body we took 

 out alive ten young ones. It was cut into pieces by the Mexican prisoners, 

 and soon devoured. Five or six of the young were put into rum, and 

 ultimately carried to England. 



The feathers of the wings and tail of the Roseate Spoonbill are manu- 

 factured into fans by the Indians and Negroes of Florida; and at St. 

 Augustine these ornaments form in some degree a regular article of trade. 

 Their flesh is oily and poor eating. 



Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea Ajaja, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. vii. p. 123. 



Platalea Ajaja, Bonap. Syn., p. 346. 



Roseate Spoonbill, Nutt. Man., vol. ii. p. 79. 



Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea Ajaja, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. iv. p. 188. 



Male, 30|, 53. Female, 2S, 48. 



Constant resident in the Texas, South Florida, and as far eastward as 

 NortrfCarolina, where it is however very rare. Occasionally in summer up 

 the* Mississippi to Natchez. Breeds in flocks on trees, low bushes, or 

 cactuses. 



Adult Male. 



Bill very long, excessively depressed, being when viewed laterally very 

 slender, but when seen from above nearly as broad as the head at the base, 

 considerably contracted in the middle, and at the end expanded into a large 

 obovate Bisk much broader than the head. Upper mandible with the dorsal 

 outline almost straight, descending at the base, at the tip decurved, the ridge 

 extremely broad and flat, gradually widening beyond the nostrils, at the end 

 terminated by the very small, decurved, blunt claw; the sides declinate at 

 the base, horizontally flattened towards the end, separated in their whole 

 length from the ridge by a narrow groove, their margins soft and blunt. 

 Nostrils basal, oblong-linear, of moderate size. Lower mandible with the 



