PLATALEA LEUCORODIA , Linn, 
Spoonbill. 
Platalea leucorodia, Linn. Faun. Suec., p. 56. 
nivea, Cuv. Regn. Anim., tom. i. p. 482. 
leucorodius, Glog. Schles. Fauna, p. 50. 
Platea leucorodia, Leach, Syst. Cat. of Indig. Mamm. and Birds in Brit. Mus., p. 33. 
The Spoonbills constitute an e.xceetlingly well-defined genus of Grallatorial birds, comprising six or seven 
species, one or other of which inhabit Europe, Africa, India, Japan, and Australia. Generally speaking, 
only a single species frequents any one country ; in Australia, however, there are two, the Platalea regia 
and P. fiavipes ; in Japan there are also said to be two, P . major and P . minor ; while the faunas of North 
and South America are adorned with hut a single species, the beautiful P. ajaja. In structure the genera 
Platalea, Ibis, and Tantalus are all closely affined ; hut the modification in the form of the bill leads each to 
assume a somewhat different mode of life, action, and economy ; they all, however, frequent low humid and 
marshy situations, and live on the various inhabitants of such watery wastes. The Ibises and Tantall feed 
almost exclusively upon frogs, small fish, and mollusks, for the seizing of which their bills are admirably 
adapted ; the Spoonbills, on the other hand, although sometimes partaking of the same kind of food, feed 
more exclusively on small crustaceans and shelled mollusks, aquatic worms, and seeds of water-plants, for 
the gathering of which their bills are equally well adapted. Most of, if not all, the Spoonbills are subject to 
a change of plumage at the nuptial season, which appears to be equally shared by both sexes ; the P. 
leucorodia of Europe and the P. regia of Australia assume at that time a beautiful and full crest of 
lengthened feathers ; and an assumption of ornamental feathers or colouring takes place on some part of the 
body in the other members of the genus. 
In times gone by, the Common Spoonbill (P. leucorodia) was abundant in many of the marshy districts of 
England during the months of summer, and regularly bred in some of them, especially in those of our 
eastern counties ; and that it still resorts to its old haunts, though in greatly diminished numbers, is 
evidenced by the fact that scarcely a year passes away without one, two, or more being seen or killed in the 
marshes of Romney or the broads of Suffolk and Norfolk ; these occurrences, however, are too numerous to 
be detailed here. Whenever, during the vernal and autumnal migration of the Spoonbill, the direction of 
the wind happens to he favourable for a journey to Britain, a few are almost certain to visit our shores. 
Once landed, persecution awaits them ; every gunner is their enemy, and they are not allowed to rest until 
the fatal shot terminates their wandering. Every writer on British Birds has recorded numerous instances 
of its capture in our islands, from Scilly to Orkney and Shetland, from Norfolk, in the eastern part of 
England, to the most western county of Ireland ; these 1 shall not repeat, but proceed to give some of the 
additional information I have more recently acquired, ending with an interesting letter respecting the bird’s 
breeding in Holland, sent to me by P. L. Sclater, Esq. 
Mr. Gatcombe records in the ‘Zoologist’ for 1863 that on the 3rd of November, 1862, “three 
Spoonbills were killed at one shot, out of a flock of four, on the banks of St. Germain’s River, in the vicinity 
of Plymouth. They were all young birds of the year.” Mr. Bond informed me of two that were shot 
on the 12th of October, 1864, near Lydd, in Kent — and of two others, a male and a female, killed at 
Kingsbury Reservoir, Middlesex, on the 23rd of October, 1865, respecting which Mr. J. E. Harting has 
favoured me with the following particulars : — 
“ They were first observed at Kingsbury Reservoir, close to the edge of the water, and, on being disturbed 
and shot at, flew to some little distance and alighted near a flock of geese in a field adjoining a farm-yard. 
It is thought that one of the birds was slightly wounded and, dropping down to rest, was followed by the 
other. Had this not been the case, I think both birds would have gone away. However, they were 
pursued by two gunners, who, finding that they were very shy and could not he approached directly, 
employed a third person to go round through the farm-yard and drive them, whilst they concealed themselves in 
a favourable position under a bank, where some overhanging bushes formed a good screen. This plan had the 
desired effect ; for the birds came right over them and were both killed. I was informed by one of the 
gunners, and by two or three labourers who saw these Spoonbills on the wing, that they flew something like 
Herons, hut much faster, and with the neck stretched out at full length, like a Duck, instead of being thrown 
hack, Heron-like, between the shoulders. They were not heard to utter any note. > 
“ I found on examination that they were male and female birds of the year. The hill, of a brownish flesh- 
