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THE WHITE OR EUROPEAN SPOONBILL. 
Piatalea leucorodia, Linmsus. 
PLATE VIII. 
Piatalea leucorodia, Linn. — Spatule blanche, Temm 
Spoonbill or White Spoonbill of British authors. 
The Spoonbill is an occasional visitant to the three 
kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, being most 
frequently met with in England, while it is rare in 
the others ; in the former, they are even recorded by 
Sir Thomas Browne to have bred occasionally, while, 
on the other hand, in Scotland, they appear to have 
strayed even so far north as Orkney and Shetland.* 
Out of Europe, they seem to range to Africa and 
India, although the specimens brought by Colonel 
Sykes are from three to four inches longer than the 
European birds. f The Spoonbill seems to breed both 
on trees and upon the ground, or nearly so, among 
tall reeds ; and the eggs deposited in a nest of large 
and strong structure, differ from those of the other 
Ardeadce in their colour, being nearly white, with 
blotches of pale brown over them. Their food is 
usually described to be small reptiles and fish, with 
* Fleming. + Yarrell. 
