CICONIID^ — THE STORKS. 77 



Synopsis of the American Genera. 



Sub-family CICONIINiE. — The TpaiE Storks. 



1. Euxenura.^ Bill moderately large, its upper and lower outlines straight throughout ; 



entire head and neck leathered, except the lores and a bare strip along each side of tlie 

 throat. Tail abbreviated and deeplij forked, the feathers very rigid, the lower tail-coverts 

 elomjated (extending beyond the true tail), and stiffened, so as to resemble true rectrices ! 

 (type, Ardea maguari, Gmel.). 



2. Mycteria. Bill enormously large, the terminal half recurved. Entire head and ueck 



naked, except a longitudinal hairy patch on the occiput. Tail and tail-coverts normal 

 (type, Alycteria aniericana, Gmel. nee Linn. 2). 



Sub- FAMILY TANTALINiE. — The Wood Ibises. 



3. Tantalus.3 Adult with the whole head and upper half of the neck naked, the skin hard 



and scurfy ; crown covered with a quadrate, or somewhat shield-shaped, smooth horny 

 plate, and skin of nape transversely wrinkled, or corrugated. Nostrils sub-basal ; tertials 

 longer than primaries, and with their webs compact or normal (type, Tantalus loculator, 

 Linn). 



4. Pseudotantalus. Adult with only the fore part of the head naked, the hinder part and 



entire neck densely feathered ; naked skin of fore part of head smooth. Nostrils strictly 

 basal ; tertials shorter than primaries, and with their webs somewhat decomposed. Bill, 

 legs, and tail very much longer, and basal outline of the bill of different contour (type, 

 Tantalus ibis, Linn.). 



The Wood Ibises form a very natural group of about five species, usually included in the single 

 genus Tantalus, inhabiting, like their kindred, the Storks, Jabirus, and Adjutants, the warmer 



1 Genus Euxenura, Kidgway. 



Ciconia (part), Biuss. Orn.Y. 1760, 369, no. 3. — Bonap. Consp. II. 1855, 104, et AUCT. 

 Ardea (part), Gmel. S. N. I. ii. 1788, 623. 



Euxenura, Ridgw. Bull. U. S. Geol. & Geog. Survey Terr. IV. no. 1, Feb. 5, 1878, 250 (type, 

 Ardea maguari, Gmel). 

 This genus is very decidedly distinct from Dissoura, Cabanis (type, Ardea cpiscopus, Bodd. ), the only 

 resemblance between tlieni, in addition to the usual Ciconine characters, consisting in the similar form of 

 the tail. 



2 While giving a correct diagnosis of his genus Mycteria, with M. americana as type, Linnaeus (S. N. 

 I. 1766, 233) describes as the latter, in unmistakable terms, the birds afterward named Ardea maguari 

 by Gmelin. The references given by Linnreus, however, refer mainly to the true Mycteria 1 



3 The association of the Tantalince with the Storks, as has latterly been done by several authors, seems 

 a very proper procedure, even the external structure showing clearly that such are the true affinities of the 

 group. The internal structure affords still more conclusive testimony to this effect, as the following 

 scheme, adapted from Garrod (Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London for 1875, p. 301), may 

 show : — 



Ciconiid^ (including Tantalus). IbidiDjE (including Plataleidm), 



1. Skull holorliinal. 1. Skull schizorhinal. 



2. Angle of tlie mandible truncated. 2. Angle of the mandible produced and recurved. 



3. Pectoralis major muscle in two layers, — a sir- 3. Pectoralis major muscle simple, not separable 



perficial one, and a deep one, easily separable into distinct laj'ers. 



from the other. 



4. Accessory fcmoro-caudal muscle absent. 4. Accessory femoro-caudal muscle well developed. 



5. Scmitendinosus muscle tendinous for its distal 5. Semitendinosus muscle muscular throughout. 



half. 



6. " jSTo slip leaves the hiccps cubiti muscle to join 6. "A small muscular belly is sent from the Uceps 



the tensor patagii longus." cubiti to the tendon of the tensor patagii Ion- 



gus muscle." 

 Professor Garrod adds to the above tabulation of the diagnostic characters of the Ciconiida; and Ihididm, 

 that "There are many other structural peculiarities, which make it perfectly certain that Tantalus is a 

 member of the Ciconiidce, and nqt an aberrant one, either." 



