NORTH AMERICAN MARSH BIRDS 33 



DISTRIBUTION 



Breeding range. — South Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United 

 States; Central America; Greater Antilles and northern South 

 America. East to South Carolina (Mount Pleasant) ; Georgia (Alata- 

 maha River); Florida (St. Johns River, Orange Lake, Indian River, 

 Cuthbert and Alligator Lakes) ; Haiti (Sanchez). South to the coast 

 of central Venezuela (Lake Valencia) ; and Peru (Santa Luzia) . West 

 to Costa Rica (La Palma) ; Nicaragua (Momotomba); and Lower 

 California (La Paz). North to Texas (Nueces River and Victoria 

 County); Louisiana (Bayou Sara and Point Coupee) and Missis- 

 sippi (Natchez). 



Migration. — The white ibis is resident throughout practically its 

 entire range althougli a slight movement in spring has been detected 

 in the United States. Early dates of arrival are Whitfield, Florida, 

 March 17 (1903), and St. Marys, Georgia, also March 17 (1904). A 

 nine years' average date of arrival at Bird Island, Orange Lake, Flor- 

 ida, is April 1. 



Casual records. — Wanderers to the North have been recorded on 

 several occasions: One near the mouth of the Colorado River in 

 March, 1914; a few seen near Ogden, Utah, September 1 to October 

 8, 1871; a specimen was taken at Barr, Colorado in 1890; two were 

 seen and one was secured in southeastern South Dakota in May, 1879 ; 

 i flock of seven or eight, in immature plumage, wore seen near Mount 

 Carmel, Illinois, about May S, 1878; one was taken near South 

 Woodstock, Vermont, in the summer of 1878; one was seen near 

 Milford, Connecticut, on May 23, 1875, by G. B. Grinnell; Giraud 

 (1844) records two from Long Island, New York, one having been 

 shot at Raynor South, in the summer of 1836 and the other at Mor- 

 iches early in March, 1843; and Pearson (1899) repoi-ts taking a spec- 

 imen in immature plumage from a flock of three, near Beaufort, 

 North Carolina, July 26, 1898. 



Egg dates. — Florida: 108 records, March 4 to August 17; 54 records, 

 April 12 to May 11. 



GlIARA RUBRA (Linnaeus) 

 SCARLET IBIS 



HABITS 



Contributed by Thomas Edward Penard 



The scarlet ibis is a neotropical species inhabiting the coastal and 

 littoral areas of northern and eastern vSouth America from Venezuela 

 to eastern Brazil. Beyond its breeding range it has been observed 

 as an irregular visitant in Jamaica and south as far as the State of 

 SaO Paolo, where it is rare. Reports of its presence in Central 



