Luzon (Banks). Korea, Japan, China, and Formosa.

“Adult male.—Entirely white with a small but full nuchal crest; bare forehead black, the black skin extending just behind the eye and occupying the sides of the face, fore parts of cheeks, and upper throat, on which the white feathers impinge in a triangular form in the center; a yellow spot in front of the eye. ‘Bill slate-color, transversely barred with black, the bars broken and disconnected on the spatule; apical edge black, succeeded by a patch and scattered spots of orange-ocher over the spatule, which is also freckled with light slate-color; inside of mouth deep indigo-black; inside of nostrils ocherous; bare skin of face black, with a bright yellow-ocher patch before eye, extending over under lid, and a thin line over upper lid; legs purplish black; iris blood-red.’ (Swinhoe.) Length, 685; culmen, 183; wing, 371; tail, 107; tarsus, 121.

“Adult female.—Similar to the male. ‘Bill flesh-color, longitudinally streaked and speckled with blackish, mottled and freckled with slate-color, chiefly about the spatule; bare skin of face dull purplish brown; feet purplish black; iris yellowish brown.’ (Swinhoe.) Length, 660; culmen, 185; wing, 356; tail, 102; tarsus, 119.

“Young.—Differs from the adults in having a more yellowish bill, and blackish shaft-stripes to the quills; outer primaries blackish at ends of outer webs.” (Sharpe.)

Mr. Charles S. Banks of the Bureau of Science brought the head of a spoonbill from Dagupan, Luzon, where he found this species not uncommon in November, 1907. While I have referred this specimen to Platalea minor its specific identity is uncertain.

Suborder CICONIÆ.
Family CICONIIDÆ.

Bill long, stout, compressed, and tapering, tip pointed; culmen straight except at the tip; nostril pervious in a slit; wing large; secondaries longer than primaries; tail short; tarsus about as long as culmen and covered with small hexagonal scales; hind toe about half the length of inner toe; nails short and blunt.

Subfamily CICONIINÆ.