190 ROSEATE SPOONBILL.
their roseate tints exhibit, a richer glow, which is surpassed only by
the brilliancy .of the Scarlet ibis, and American Flamingo.
This beautiful bird is usually fond of the company of our different
Herons, whose keen sight and vigilance arc useful to it in apprising it
of danger, and allowing it to take flight in due time. When the Spoonbills
are by themselves and feeding, they- can easily be approached by
those who, like yourself perhaps, ate expert at crawling over the mud
on hands and knees, through the tall and keen-edged saw-grass. I
well recollect my own success when, after having seen three of these
precious birds alight on their feeding grounds, about a quarter of a
mile from where I stood, I managed after something short of half
an hour to get within shot of them. Then, after viewing them for a
while unseen, I touched one of my triggers, and two of them fell upon
the surface of the shallow water. The other might, I believe, have
been as easily shot, for it stood, as. I have seen Wild Turkey cocks
do on like occasions, looking with curious intensity as it were upon its
massacred friends, until, seeing ifeipti up and wade towards them, it
hurriedly extended its broad wings, and flew off towards tho .sea-shore.
When wounded in the wing, they make towards deeper water, and, if
¿qjosely pursued, will swim to some distance, but without ever attempting
to dive, and when at last seized, offer no resistance. On the contrary,
if their wings are uninjured, though they may otherwise - bo severely
wounded, they rise and fly to a great .distance, or drop while on the
way. I have considered these birds as tough to kill, and, when on
open ground, even without being in company with Herons* as diiiicult
of approach. They are as nocturnal as the night Heron, and, although
they seek for food at times during the middle of the: day, their principal
feeding time is from near sunset until daylight. To all-such feeding
grounds as are exposed to the tides, they betake them-sc! ves- when
it is low water, and search for food along the shallow margins until
drives; off bv the returning tide. Few birds are better aware of the
hours at which the waters arc high or low, and when it is near ebb
you see them wending their way to the shore, Whenever a feeding
place seems to be productive, the Spoonbills are wont to return to it
until they have been much disturbed,, and persons aware of this fact
may waylay them with success, as at such times one may shoot them
while, passing over head. To procure, their food, the Spoonbills first
generally alight near the water, into which they then wade up to the
ROSEATE SPOONBILL. 191
tibia, and immerse their bills in the water: or soft mud, sometimes
with the head and even the whole neck beneath the surface. They
frequently withdraw these parts however, and look around to ascertain
if danger is near. Theyjnove their- partially opened mandibles
laterally to and fro with a considerable degree of elegance, munching
the fry, insects, or small shell-fish, which they secure, before swallowing
them. When there are many together, one usually acts as sentinel,
unless a Heron should be near; and in either ease you may- despair,
of approaching them. I have never seen one of these birds feeding
I® fresh water, .pfcwigh I have been told that this is sometimes
the case. To all those keys in the Floridas in which ponds have been
dug for the making of salt, they uMglly repair in the evening for the
purpose- of feeding; but- the- shallow inlets in the great salt marshes of
our southern coasts are their favourite places gfjf resort.
The Roseate Spoonbills alight on: trees with as much facility as
Herons, and even walk on their large, branches. They usually nestle on
the tops of: the mangroves, placing their nests at the distance of a few
yards from each other.; They are formed of sticks of considerable size
and are flat, like most of those of the Heron trttje. The-eggs are laid
about the middle of April, and are usually three. They measure two
inches- and live eighths in length, an inch and sevetwighths in their
greatest breadth, are; slightly granulated, almost equally rounded at
both ends, and have a pure white colour. I have never seen the young
when recently hatched ; but when able to fly they are-greyish-white.
The bill is then quite smooth, of a yellowish-green colour, as are the
legs and feet, as well as the skin on part of the head- Young birds in
their second year have the wings and the lower wing-coverts of a pale
roseate tint,, the bill more richly coloured, and the -legs and feet dark
brownish-red, or purplish.. At this age* they are unadorned with the
curling feathers on the, breast; but in the third spring the bird is perfect,
although it increases in size for several seasons after. I have never
seen one. of these birds of the bright red colour assigned to them by
some authors..
While OIL .one of the islands of Galveston Bay in Texas, I found
eight or ten nests of these birds, placed in low cactuses* amid some
hundreds of nests, belonging to Herons of different species, but was not
rendered aware of the fact until I compared the eggs found there with
those procured in the. Floridas, although I did at the time mention to