IBIDID.E — THE IBISES — EUDOCIMUS. 87 



eelge convex. Anterior half of the head bare (in the adult) including the forehead, lores, orbital 

 and malar regions, chin, and more or less of the throat ; in the young, this bare skin more 

 restricted. Feathers of the head and neck dense but I'ather soft, with rather distinct outlines, 

 but with somewhat truncated tips. Primaries extending a little beyond the tertials, the second 

 and third quills longest and nearly equal, first a little shorter than the fourth ; inner webs of 

 outer four slightly sinuated toward their ends. 



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Synopsis of Species. 



1. E. ruber. Adult: Ends of several outer primaries glossy blue-black; rest of plumage 



entirely uniform rich pure scarlet, the shafts of the primaries white, as far as the black 

 tips. Bill dusky or reddish ; bare skin of head pinkish, or lake-red ; legs and feet red. 

 Young: Dark brownish gray, the belly white. Wing, 10.80-11.00; tail, 4.10-4.80; 

 culmen, 6.00-6.50 ; depth of bill, .70 ; tarsus, .3.70-3.80 ; middle toe, 2.55-2.60. Hab. 

 Tropical America, on the Atlantic side; accidental (] ) in Louisiana and Texas. 



2. E. albus. Ends of several outer primaries glossy greenish black ; rest of plumage entirely 



pure white. Bill, naked portion of head, legs, and feet, reddish (pale yellowish in dried 

 skins) ; iris pale blue. Young : Uniform grayish brown, the rump, base of tail, and 

 under parts white ; head and neck streaked with white and grayish, the former feath- 

 ered nearly to the bill. Wing, 10.30-11.75 ; tail, 4.00-5.00 ; culmen, 4.15-6.30 ; depth 

 of bill, .60-.72 ; tarsus, 3.10-4.00 ; middle toe, 2.15-2.70. Huh. : Southern States, 

 north, casually, to Connecticut, Eastern Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Utah ; south to 

 Brazil and throughout West Indies. 



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Eudocimus ruber. 



THE SCAELET IBIS. 



Tantalus ruber, Linn. S. N. I. 1766, 241, no. 5. —Wilson. Am. Orn. VIII. 1814, 41, pi. Ixvi. 



Eudocimus ruber, Wagl., Isis, 183-2, 1232. — Ridgw. Norn. N. Am. B. 1882, no. 502. — CouES, 

 Check-List, 2d ed. 1882, no. 652. 



Scolopax rubra, Scopoli, Bemerk. ed. Giintli. 1770, 106, no. 130. 



Ibis rubra, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. XVI. 1817, 22. — Nutt. Man. XL 1834, 84. — Aud. Orn. Biog. V. 

 1839, 62 ; Synop. 1839, 2.57 ; Birds Am. VI. 1843, 53, pi. 359 (adult and young). — Cassin, in 

 Baird's Birds N. Am. 1858, 683. — Baiud, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, no. 498. — Coues, Key, 1872, 

 264; Check List, 1873, no. 447. — ScL. & Salv. Norn. Neotr. 1873, 126. — BoucAED, Catal. 

 Av. 1876, 48, no. 1337. 



Hab. — Chiefly the northern shores of South America, but also occurs sparingly among the 

 West Indian Islands and on tlie Gulf Coast of Middle America; accidental (J.) in liouisiana and 

 Southern Texas. 



Sp. Char. — Adult : Ends of the four outer primaries glossy blue-black, witli a steel-blue 

 reflection ; rest of the plumage entirely uniform rich juue scarlet, the shafts of the primaries, 

 as far as the Idack tips, pure white. Bill grayish-black;^ V)are skin of the head pale lake-red 

 or pinkish; legs and feet red. Young : Brownisli gray, much darker than in E. albus; abdomen 

 white. 



Length, about 28.00-30 00 ; expanse, 40.00-45.00 ; wing, 10.80-11.00; tail, 4.10-4.80 ; culmen, 

 6.00-6.50 ; depth of bill, .70 ; tarsus, 3.70-3.80 ; middle toe, 2.55-2.60 ; bare portion of tibia, 

 2.00-2.40. 



The scarlet color of this splendid bird is probably not exceeded in purity and intensity. It is, 

 in fact, the very perfection of that color. It far surpasses the red of any Passerine bird known to 

 us, even the plumage of the Scarlet Tanager (Pyranga rubra) appearing dull and harsh beside it. 



The black tips of the primaries do not always end abruptly, but in some specimens this color 



1 Audubon describes the bill as "pale lake." This, however, is not the case with any specimens 

 which we have examined. He also says that the ijuills are white — an evident mistake, the shafts of the 

 quills having no doubt been meant. 



