THE SPOON-BILL. 
109 
a local bird, requiring certain conditions of life not to be found 
in every country, and in the portions of Northern France 
where it used to nest, it no longer breeds, though it still does 
so, in a limited way, in Holland, where it is protected. It nests 
in Europe generally south of 56° N. lat., and especially in Spam 
and on the Danube, extending thence to Central Asia, India, 
and even to Japan, but its place in China is taken by P. minor. 
In Africa our Spoon-bill extends its range to North-eastern 
Africa as far as Socotra. 
Habits.— To learn the ways of the Spoon-bill, a visit must be 
paid to the marshes which it frequents, and as the drainage o. 
the fen-lands and nieres proceeds in Holland, as it has done 
in the bird’s htiunts in England, the species is becoming more 
and more rare, and the opportunities of observing it more 
difficult. It arrives in Europe in April, the earliest seen by 
Colonel Irby at Gibraltar being on the pth of that month, 
and eggs are taken in Southern Spain early in May. Birds 
have been seen, however, by Major Venier m the same coun- 
try as early as the 20th of February, and they leave Northern 
Europe in September and migrate in the south during October. 
Mr Seebohm says that the Spoon-bill frequents open swamps 
and low-lying ground near the sea, rather than the centre of 
dense reed-beds and rush-covered marshes. It may sometimes 
be seen in swampy meadows, in similar localities to those 
which the White Stork loves to frequent. It walks about 
slowly and sedately, and, when alarmed, it often flies to a tall 
tree where, perched perhaps on the topmost hough, it is a very 
conspicuous object for a great distance. It is very fond of 
frequenting mud-flats, searching them with its peculiar bill lor 
food. It is rather shy, and seldom allows the observer to ap- 
proach it very closely. The food of the Spoon-bill is largely 
composed of crustaceans, molluscs, and small insects, which 
it catches with its broad bill, using it in the same manner that 
a Duck does. To this fare is added smalt fish, frogs, and 
quantities of vegetable matter, such as the buds and leaves of 
water-plants, and probably grass. The Spoon-bill does not 
appear ever to utter any note, beyond making a sharp snapping 
sound with its bill. 
Hest. In India the Spoon-bill breeds in trees in company 
