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ROSEATE SPOONBILL. 



light on their history and manners. These, it is probable, may 

 resemble in many respects those of the European species, the 

 White Spoonbill^ once so common in Holland.^ To atone for this 

 deficiency, I have endeavoured faithfully to delineate the figure of 

 this American species, and may perhaps resume the subject in 

 some future part of the present work. 



The Roseate Spoonbill, now before us, measured two feet six 

 inches in length, and near four feet in extent; the bill was six 

 inches and a half long from the corner of the mouth, seven from 

 its upper base, two inches over at its greatest width, and three 

 quarters of an inch where narrowest; of a black color for half its 

 length, and covered with hard scaly protuberances, like the edges 

 of oyster shells; these are of a whitish tint, stained with red; the 

 nostrils are oblong, and placed in the center of the upper mandi- 

 ble; from the lower end of each there runs a deep groove along 

 each side of the mandible, and about a quarter of an inch from its 

 edge; whole crown and chin bare of plumage and covered with a 

 greenish skin; that below the under mandible dilatable like those 

 of the genus Pelicanus; space round the eye orange; irides blood 

 red; cheeks and hind head a bare black skin; neck long, covered 

 with short white feathers, some of which on the upper part of the 

 neck are tipt with crimson; breast white, the sides of which are 

 tinged with a brown burnt color; from the upper part of the breast 

 proceeds a long tuft of fine hair like plumage, of a pale rose color; 

 back white, slightly tinged with brownish ; wings a pale wild rose 

 color, the shafts lake; the shoulders of the wings are covered with 

 long hairy plumage of a deep and splendid carmine; upper and 

 lower tail coverts the same rich red; belly rosy; rump paler; tail 



* The European species breeds on trees, by the sea side; lays three or four white eggs, powder- 

 ed with a few pale red spots, and about the size of those of a hen are very noisy during breeding time; 

 feed on fish, muscles, &c., which, like the Bald Eagle, they frequently take from other birds, fright- 

 ening them by clattering their bill; they are also said to eat grass, weeds, and roots of reeds: they are 

 migratory; their flesh reported to savour that of a goose; the young are reckoned good food. 



