CICONIID.E— THE STORKS AND WOOD IBISES. 114* 



hallux about eaual to the inner toe and claw; bare portion of the tibia longer than the mid- 

 dle toe, the upper third, or more, without scales, and smooth; web between inner and mid- 

 dle toes well developed, but smaller than the outer web. Plumage compact above, loose 

 below, the feathers of the neck small, their webs somewhat decomposed. Remiges well 

 developed, the tertials reaching to the end of the primaries, the latter hard, concave be- 

 neath, the outer four with their inner webs deeply sinuated at or anterior to the middle 

 portion; second, third, and fourth Quills nearly equal, or longest. Tail short (shorter than 

 bill or tarsus), even, of 12 broad, stiff feathers. Adult, with the whole head and upper half 

 of hind neck bare, covered with a hard, scurfy, and more or less corrugated skin. Young, 

 with the whole head and neck, except the chin and forehead, feathered. 



Tantalus loculator Linn. 



WOOD IBIS. 



Popular synonyms. WoodPelican; Gannet (Florida) ; Colorado Turkey (Arizona); Sowewies, 



Negroscopes (Brit. Guiana); Tagarote, Galambas, Garzon (Mexico). 

 Tantalus loculator Linn . S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758.140, No. l (ex Klein,127; CATESBY,i,81); ed. 12, 

 1766, i. 241, No. 1.— Wils. Am. Orn. viii, 1814,39, pi. 66. fig. 1.— Nutt. Man. ii, 1834,^.- 

 Aud. Orn. Biog. iii, 1835,128, pi. 216; Synop. 1839, 259; Birds Am. vi. 1843, 64, pi. 361 

 (adult).— Cass, in Band's B. N. Am. 1858, 682-Baird, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 197. 

 Coues, Key, 1872, 262; Check List, 1873, No. 444; 2d ed. 1882, No. 648; Birds N. W. 1874. 

 513— Eidgw. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 500; Man. N. Am. B. 1887.125— A. 0. 0. Check 

 List, 1886, No. 188. 

 Tantalus plumicollis Spix, Av. Bras. pi. 85 (young). 

 "Ibis nandasson; I. nandapoa, Vieill." (Gbay & Bonap,) 

 Wood Pelican Catesbx, Carolina, pi. 81. 

 Le Curiaca de Cayenne Buff. PI. Enl. 1770-84, pi. 868 (adult). 

 Wood Ibis Penn. Arct. Zool. ii, 1785, 458. No. 360. 

 Tantalus ichthyophagus, the Gannet, Babtbam, Travels, 1791,293. 



Hab. The whole of tropical and most of warm- temperate America; north to New York 

 (casual), Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California; south to Ecua- 

 dor and Argentine Republic. 



Sp. Chae. Adult: Head and upper half of the neck naked, and covered with a hard, 

 scurfy skin, of a dusky color; the vertex covered by a somewhat shield-shaped horny plate, 

 of a lighter color, the neck with transverse, somewhat ovate, bark-like, rugose scales. Plum- 

 age in general uniform white, the primary-coverts, remiges, and rectrices black, with me- 

 tallic purple, bronze, and green reflections. Under wing-coverts pale rose-pink in breed- 

 ing season. "Bill dusky yellowish brown, the edges yellow; sides of the head dark bluish 

 purple, upper part of the head horn-color, or dull grayish yellow, the rest of the bare skin 

 of the same tint, many of the scales anteriorly blue ; iris deep brown, at a distance seeming 

 black : tibia and tarsus indigo-blue ; toes above black, on the lateral and hind toes, however, 

 many of the scutellee bluish gray, the webs pale yellowish flesh-color; claws black" (Audu- 

 bon). Young: Head and neck covered with rather scant, somewhat "woolly," feathers, ex- 

 cepting the forehead, anterior part of the crown, lores, anterior portion of malar region, 

 chin, and anterior part of throat, which are covored with a smooth skin. Head and neck 

 grayish brown, darkest on the occiput (where dark sooty), growing gradually paler below. 

 Rest of the plumage as in the adult, but the black feathers of wings and tail less metallic. 1 

 Immature: Head bare and corrugated, as in the adult; neck feathered, as in the young. 

 T jtal length, about 35.00-45.00 inches; extent of wings, 62.00-70.00 ;lwing, 17.60-19.50; tail, 6.10- 

 culmen. 7.55-9.30; depth of bill through nostril. 1.55-1.90; tarsus. 7.00-8.50; middle toe. 

 3.85-4.30; bare part of tibia, 5.00-6.25 \" weight UK lbs. 



» According to Audubon, "the young are dusky gray all over, the quill-; and tail In 

 black; the head all covered with down, excepting just al the base of the bill. After the flrsl 

 moult, the bare space extends over the head and cheeks; the downy feathers of the hind 

 head and neck are dusky ; the general color of the plumage is white, the Quills and tail as in 

 the adult, but with less gloss." 

 * Ton adults measured. 



