IBIDINiE. PLATALEAo 141 
Curlews. Although many individuals have been obtained in 
England, it ranks there only as a straggler. 
Tantalus Falcinellus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 241 ; Tantalus 
Falcinellus, igneus, and viridis, Lath. Ind. Ornith. ii. 707-— 
Ibis Falcinellus, Temm. Man. d’Ornith. ii. 5 9 8. —Ibis Falci- 
nellus, Glossy Ibis, MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, v. 
GENUS CXIX. PLATALEA. SPOONBILL. 
The Spoonbills may be said to be Ibises, with the bill 
flattened and expanded toward the extremity. They are 
birds of rather large size, having the body ovate, the neck 
long, and rather slender ; the head of moderate size, ovate, 
and flattened above, but little compressed. Bill very long, 
nearly straight, extremely depressed, nearly as broad as the 
head at the base, gradually narrowed toward the middle, 
then expanding into an obovate disk, much broader than the 
head ; but when viewed laterally extremely slender, unless 
at the base ; both mandibles covered with a thin and soft 
skin ; the gape-line nearly straight. Mouth rather narrow ; 
both mandibles internally flattened, with a medial groove, 
and beautifully marked with very narrow elevated lines, and 
grooves parallel to the margins ; tongue extremely small, 
broader than long ; a dilatable gular sac of small extent : 
oesophagus rather wide ; proventriculus bulbiform ; stomach 
rather large, roundish, with the muscular coat thick, its fibres 
disposed in large fasciculi, the tendons very large, the epi- 
thelium very thick, but rather soft ; intestine very long, and 
of moderate width ; two extremely short coeca ; cloaca large, 
and globular. Nostrils linear-elliptical, subbasal, vertical. 
Eyes small, in a bare space which extends to the bill. Aper- 
ture of ear rather small and roundish. Legs long, rather 
slender ; tibia bare in its lower half, reticulate ; tarsus 
stoutish, reticulated ; toes rather long, moderately stout, the 
first on the same plane as the rest, the anterior connected 
by basal webs, all scutellate ; claws small, slightly arched, 
compressed, tapering, pointed. The bare space on the head 
varies in extent, in one species including the whole head 
and part of the neck. Plumage moderate ; feathers of the 
head and neck slender ; wings large, of about thirty quills ; 
