NORTH AMERICAN MARSH BIRDS 55 



the winter adult, streaked with brown and dull white. 1 have been 

 unable to trace the first prenuptial molt in young birds, but presum- 

 ably a partial molt produces a body plumage approaching that of 

 the adult. At the first postnuptial molt, which is complete, the 

 young bird assumes the adult Avinter plumage. Winter adults have 

 the head and neck streaked with brown and dull white, as in the 

 first winter; but the upper parts are glossed with purple, green, and 

 bronze reflections, but Httle duller than in spring, and the under parts 

 are rich chestnut brown. Adults apparently have a partial prenuptial 

 molt in early spring, March, and a complete postnuptial molt in July 

 and August. 



Food.— Like the white ibis, this species often makes long flights to 

 its favorite feeding grounds, along the banks of rivers and on the 

 shallow margins of muddy pools, ponds, and marshes. On the 

 'hog-wallow prairies" of the coastal plains of Texas are many such 

 pools, where we often saw this species feeding, walking about grace- 

 fully and probing in the mud ; the crops of birds we shot here were 

 crammed full of ordinary earthworms. Its food also consists largely 

 of crawfish, various small mollusks, insects and their larvae, small 

 fish and frogs, newts, leeches, and various other forms of low animal 

 life. Probably a certain amount of aquatic vegetation is also 

 eaten. 



Behavior. —The name, ''black curlew" has been well applied to 

 this species, for at a distance in flight it certainly appears very dark 

 colored; its long curved bill stretched out in front and its legs ex- 

 tended backward give it the shape of a curlew. It can be easily 

 recognized at any distance. Its flight is strong, direct, swift and well 

 sustained. When traveling in flocks, it flies in long, diagonal lines, 

 sometimes with the birds abreast, usually with steady, rapid wing 

 strokes, but varied occasionally with short periods of scahng. 



Dr. Frank M. Chapman (1908) was priviledged to see flocks of 

 from 10 to 40 of these birds perform a surprising evolution; he writes: 



In close formation, they soared skyward in a liroad spiral, mounting higher 

 and higher until, in this leisurely and graceful manner, they had reached an 

 elevation of at least 500 feet. Then, without a moment's pause and with thrill- 

 ing speed, they dived earthward. Sometimes they went together as one bird, 

 at others each bird steered its own course, when the air seemed full of plunging, 

 darting, crazy ibises. When about 50 feet from the ground, their reckless dash 

 was checked and, on bowed wings, they turned abruptly and shot upward. 

 Shortly after, like a rush of a gust of wind, we heard the humming sound caused 

 by the swift passage through the air of their stiffened {Mnions. 



The same writer describes the note of this species as a "nasal ooh- 

 ick-ooTi-ick.'' Dr. Joseph Grmnell (1918) records it as "a hoarse 

 Ica-onk, several times repeated." 



6^awe.— Ibises can hardly be considered desirable game birds; yet, 

 under the name of "bronze i])is"in Texas or "black curlew" in 



