68 
The Roseate Spoonbill. 
when removed, weighed over half a pound, whereas an ounce 
would have been about the correct weight. 
The malformation of its bill causes it some trouble with its 
i^ood. I give it biscuit meal in a deep jam jar, and this it 
regotiates without difficulty: but its meat, which is placed on the 
ground, is quite another matter, and it is very amusing to watch 
its efforts to pick it up. It has now got expert at this. Its mod'" 
of procc'hne is to pull tlie piece of meat along the ground until 
it gets it between two of its toes, when it pushes, or rather pulls 
it, up its leg until the lower mandible can close upon it. This 
operation sometimes takes quite a little time, and causes the bird 
to cover a god deal of ground, in a backward motion, whilst it 
is doing it, but it always succeeds in the end. I am wondering 
whether the under mandible will ever grow until it reaches its 
proper length. These birds, when feeding, work their bills 
from side to side like the Avocet and Stilt, and would, I should 
think, feed upon much the same kind of diet. 
Slater, in Argentine Ornithology, is of the opinion that 
there are more than one species of Spoonbill in South America, 
he says : 
