40 IBIDID^. 



Ridgxo. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. iii. p. 198 (1880) ; Corns, Check-l. N. 

 Amer. B. p. 105 (1882) ; Nutting, Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 407 

 (1882 : Costa Rica) ; Belding, t. c. p. 545 (Lower Cal.) ; Nutting, 

 Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 379 (1883 : Nicaragua); Baird, Breiier, <^ 

 Pddgway, Water-B. N.Amer. i. p. 89 (1884); Cory, B. San Domingo, 

 p. 150 (1884); Coues, Keg N. Amer. B. 2nd ed. p. 651 (1884); 

 Ridgw. Auk, i. pp. 239-240 (1884) ; Salvin, Ibis, 1885, p. 376 

 (Cozumel) ; Taczan. Dm. Perou, iii. p. 415 (1886 : Tiimbez) ; 

 Salcin, Ibis, 1887, p. 376 (Cozumel). 



Leucibis alba, Reichenb. Grallatores, Taf. 141. fig. 526 (1851). 



Falcinellus albus, Reichen. J.f. O. 1877, p. 148. 



Guara alba, Stejn. Stand. Nat. Hist. iv. p. 9 (1885) ; A. O. U. Chech-l. 

 p. 131 (1886); Ferrari-Perez, Pr. U.S.Nat. Mus. ix. p. 171 (1886: 

 Vera Cruz, Jalapa) ; Ridgw. Man. N. Amer. B. p. 123 (1887) ; 

 Scott, Auk, vi. p. 15 (1889 : Florida) ; Cory, B. TV. Ind. p. 242 

 (1889: Greater Antilles); Brewst. Sf Chapni. Auk, viii. p. 137 

 (1891 : Suwanee Eiver) ; Scott, Auk, ix. p. 9 (1892 : Jamaica) ; 

 Cory, Cat. W.-Ind. B. p. 88 (1892). 



Adult male. Everywhere pure white, above and below, including 

 the under wing-coverts and axillaries ; wings also pure white, except- 

 ing the ends of the primaries, which, for the terminal third, are black 

 with a steel-green and bluish gloss ; head with a very evident com- 

 pressed nuchal crest : " bill, bare skin of head, legs, and feet bright 

 carmine in the breeding-season, at other times paler or orange-red ; 

 iris fine pearly blue " (Audubon). Total length 25 inches, culmen 6, 

 wing 12"2, tail 4-2, tarsus 4*3, middle toe and claw 3-7. 



Audubon's notes on the change in the colours of the soft parts 

 should be consulted : they are too long for quotation here, but are 

 interesting, and are reproduced by Mr. llidgway in the ' History of 

 North-American Birds.' 



Adidt female. Similar to the male in colour, but much smaller. 

 Total length about 23 inches, culmen 4-8, wiug 10-9, tail 3-6, tarsus 

 3-3, middle toe and claw 2-9. 



Young birds. Brown above ; the lower back, rump, and upper 

 tail-coverts white ; the quills dusky brown, with a slight gloss of 

 oily green and white towards the base of the inner webs ; tail- 

 feathers brown, white at the base, especially on the centre feathers, 

 which are glossed with oily green ; the head and neck mottled and 

 streaked, the ground-colour being ashy whitish, with longitudinal 

 brown centres to aU the feathers, these streaks being broad on the 

 head and hind-neck, somewhat narrower and lighter on the throat 

 and fore-neck, and paler and scarcely perceptible on the chest ; 

 remainder of under surface, from the chest downwards, white. 



The colour of the face, in a series of skins, varies from yellow to 

 blackish even in adult birds, and young birds of the year become 

 very much paler about the head and neck during the first autumn ; 

 they then moult into a brown plumage, but this time there is a 

 certain admixture of white plumes ; it seems quite certain, how- 

 ever, that the bird does not attain its full plumage in the first year, 

 as a male killed by Mr. Scott in July has plentiful remains of young 

 plumage. 



