SPOOJNBILL. 
PlATALEA LEUCORODIA • Lin. SjfSt. i. p. S3 1 . 1 . 
LaSpatule. Briss. Orn. v. p. 3 5 2. 
Buff. Ois.v ii. p . 4 4 0. pi. 2 A. 
White Spoonbill. Lath. in. p. is. i. 
The body of this very extraordinary subject is nearly as large as that of 
the Heron, but its neck is not so long, nor its legs so tall. The bill is long, 
broad, flat, and thin; the end widens into a roundish form not unlike a 
spoon, from whence it takes its name. The whole plumage is generally 
white; in some specimens, indeed, the quills are tipped with black, but this 
does not denote, as is supposed, a difference of sex, as it occurs both in 
male and female. 
Theyaremet with from the Ferro Isles, near Iceland, to the Cape of 
Good Hope. At Sevenhuys, near Leyden, they were once in great plenty, 
annually breeding in a wood near that place ; they are seldom seen in Eng- 
land, except when driven there by accident. A whole flock of them was 
seen in the marshes near Y armouth, in the month of April, 1 7 7 4 . 
They build their nest on high trees near the sea, laying four white eggs, 
powdered with pale red, and are (like the Rook) very clamorous during 
the breeding season. Their food is fish, which it is said they have the art 
of taking from other aquatic birds, frightening them by clattering the bill 
until they drop their prey ; they likewise devour frogs and snakes, and in 
case of necessity feed on aquatic plants, and the roots of reeds. 
They are migratory birds, retiring to the warmer parts on the approach 
of winter. Their flesh is eaten by some, and is said to have the flavoui of 
a goose; and the young birds, taken before they are able to fly, ha\e in 
particular been esteemed good food. 
