has stood for his portrait to illustrate the Ornithological
works of Mr. Bennett, Mr. Selby, Mr. Gould,, Mr. Meyer,
my own, and probably those- of several others. The authors
are certainly the parties obliged, by being thus enabled
to give a representation of a fine and rare bird from a living
example.
In the adult bird, the beak, and the . naked skin around
the eye, are red tinged with orange; the irides reddish
brown; the head, neck all round, upper surface of'the b o d y ,
wings, and wing-coverts, are glossy black, varied with blue,
purple, copper coloured and green ■ reflections ;J;the-, primary
quill-feathers and the tail-black;' the whole., o | the under
surface of the body, from the bottom of the neck fo the ends
of the under tail-coverts, white; the legs, and toes drangered;
the claws black.
. There is no difference in the.,plumage of tfie sexes».
The whole length of- the specimen» killed1 in Dorsetshire,
was-three feet four inche|gr. Prom the carpal j o i n t ^ thatond
of the wing, twenty-one inches ; the length qf the beak from
the point to the angle of the gape, seven, inches; length of
the middle toe four inches the tarsus eight inches ; of the
naked part above, four inches and a half.
The colours in this specimen, which are
mature age, are thus described. Head and neck-dusky
brown; wings, .tail, and back, black' or d^sjfcy brown; with"
purple reflections ; lower part of breast and bqlly white ; bill
and orbits bright orange; irides-hazel; legs and toes pale jgd.
| According to . M. Temminck-,, in very young birds the
beak, the naked skin around the eyes- and the legs are gliye
green, the head and neck being then of a reddish brown.
GRALLATORES. ARDEIDÆ.
T H E W H IT E SPOONBILL.
Platalea leuc rodia, The Spoonbill,
I
The-'" "
. Common < -,
White. ,,
„ The „
Spatule Blanche,
P enn. Brit. Zool. vol. it. p. 3.
M qnjagu, Ornith.,
B ewick,P Brit. Birds, vol. ii. p. 31.
F lem. Brit. An. p. 9 k
Selb;% Brit. Ormth. vol, ii. p. 51.
'Jenvns, Brit. Vert. g. 193» -
Gould, Birds of Europe, pt. ii.
TEMM.fMan» d’Omith« vol; it. p. 596.
P latalea. Generic Characters.y—Bill very long, strong, yery much, flattened,
dilated at the point, rdtinded in the forirr of a spoon; upper mandible
channelled and transversely grooved at the base. Nostrils on the upper surface
of the beak, nepr together, oblong, open, bordered by a membrane. Forehead,1
lofe, orbits and chin naked.- Jpgs lbng, strong, three toes in front, united as
2 K %