32 BULLETIN 135^ UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



It is not a noisy bird and its vocal performances are limited to a 

 few soft grunting notes. One night, while waiting in my blind for 

 the ibises to come to roost on the trees around me, I heard a peculiar 

 conversational note which I recorded as sounding like " walla, vmlla, 

 walla.' ' Audubon (1840) says that on their breeding grounds the 

 females are silent, "but the males evince their displeasure by utter- 

 ing sounds which greatly resemble those of the white-headed pigeon, 

 and which may be imitated by the syllables crool,croo,croo." And 

 again he says that "if you disturb them when far away from their 

 nests, they utter loud hoarse cries resembling the syHables hunk, hunk, 

 hunk, either while on the ground or as they fly off." 



Enemies. — Ibises are not generally regarded as game birds, but 

 many are shot for food in the regions where they are plentiful and 

 where they are locally called "white curlew." That they have other 

 enemies than man is illustrated by the following account by Audu- 

 bon (1840): 



The ibises had all departed for the Florida coasts, excepting a few of the white 

 species, one of which was at length espied. It was perched about 50 yards from 

 us toward the center of the pool, and as the report of one of our guns echoed 

 among the tall cypresses, down to the water, broken winged, it fell. The exer- 

 tions which it made to reach the shore seemed to awaken the half-torpid alliga- 

 tors that lay in the deep mud at the bottom of the pool. One showed his head 

 above the water, then a second and a third. All gave chase to the poor wounded 

 bird, which, on seeing its dreaded and deadly foes, made double speed to- 

 ward the very spot where we stood. I was suprised to see how much faster the 

 bird swam than the reptiles, who, with j iws widely openod, urgad their heavy 

 bodies through the water. The ibis was now within a few yards of us. It was 

 the alligator's last chance. Springing forward as it were, he raised his body al- 

 most out of the water; his jaws nearly touched the terrified bird; when pulling 

 three triggers at once, we lodged the contents of our guns in the throat of the 

 monster. Thrashing furiously with his tail, and rolling his body in agony, the 

 alHgator at last sank to the mud; and the ibis, as if in gratitude, walked to our 

 very feet and there lying down, surrendered itself to us. I kept this bird until 

 the succeeding spring, and by care and good nursing, had the pleasure of seeing 

 its broken wing perfectly mended, when, after its long captivity, I restored it to 

 liberty, in the midst of its loved swamps and woods. 



Bird Key in Pinellas County, Florida, is infested, during the breed- 

 ing season, with a horde of Florida crows and fish crows, which are 

 constantly hovering over the nests, looking for a chance to pounce 

 upon and carry off any unguarded eggs. The crows have a whole- 

 some respect for the long, sharp beaks of the herons, but the soft, 

 bhint bills of the gentle ibises are less dangerous weapons, and the 

 crows work havoc among their eggs; every nest in the vicinity of my 

 blind was cleaned out. Large numbers of black vultures and a few 

 turkey vultures live on this Key; and from the middle of April on a 

 great many man-o'-war birds visit it; probably all three of these 

 bu'ds destro}^ some eggs and young birds. 



