MUSEUM OF -COMPARATIVE: ZOOLOGY. 561 



in the interior of the woods in the Floridas, that they alight on trees, 

 etc., which, if once published, would in all probability have gone down 

 to future times through the medium of compilers." * Numbers of simi- 

 lar errors have in fact crept into our natural-history literature, and 

 after they have become well known as such to investigators, they are 

 perpetuated for a generation or two by superficial compilers. The 

 same may almost equally well be said in respect to nominal species. 



147.* Ibis alba VieMot. White Ibis. 



Abundant. Towards the end of February they were moulting and 

 in very poor plumage. Most of the young still retained their brown 

 dress, but in a large proportion the moulting was considerably advanced. 

 Before the end of March it was completed, and April 1st I saw large 

 flocks passing northward high in the air, apparently migrating. 



During the winter these birds have the peculiar habit, on the Upper 

 St. John's, of daily flying up the river at evening and down again early 

 ii» the morning. They usually fly very low, passing just over the tree- 

 tops when cutting across a bend in the river, and at other times close 

 to the water. They are hence in easy gun-shot range from the river or 

 its banks, and, flying in dense flocks, afford fine sport to the numerous 

 sportsmen camping along its banks, who make great havoc among them. 

 They breed much later in the season than the herons. Dr. Bryant 

 states that as late as the 20th of April they had not commenced laying, 

 and that they fly up and down Indian River in the same manner as on 

 the St. John's.f Mr. Maynard informs me he did not meet with this 

 bird on Mosquito Lagoon. 



148. Ibis falcinellus Linn€. Glossy Ibis. 



Tantalus mexiranus Orp., Journ. Phil. Acad. Xat. Sci., I, 53, 1817. 



Ibis falcinellus Bonwp., Obs. on Noniencl. Wilson's Orn., Ibid., V, 70, 1825. — 



Ibid., Am. Orn., IV, 23, pi. xxiii, 1831. — Acdubon, Orn. Biog., IV, 608, 



pi. ccclxxxvii, 1838. 

 Ibis Ordi Bonaf., Geog. and Comp. List, 1838. — Baird, Birds N. Amer., 



685, 1858. 



" Pine barrens between Lake Harney and Indian River, in the 

 ponds, in flocks of twelve to twenty." J 



* Birds of America, Vol. VI, p. 68. 



t Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol. VII, 15. 



t The above is a memorandum of the recent occurrence of this species in East 

 Florida, obtained from Mr. Maynard, but whether given by him -on his own authority or 

 on that of Mr. C. H. Nauman, I am at present uncertain. 



