PLATALEID^. 



43 



Family II. PLxiTALEID^. 



Key to the Genera. 



a. Head partially bare ; auricular orifice covered 



with plumes. 

 a'. Nostrils elongated ovals and situated in a 



shallow depression, whicli loses itself about 



the commennemeut of the narrowed part of 



the bill, and is continued in the narrow 



sub-marginal line, which runs to the tip of 



the bill ; a full crest in breeding-plumage ; 



no tuft of ornamental plumes on the breast. 1. PL.A.TALEA, p. 43. 

 b'. Nostrils elongate and situated in a deep 



depression, very marked, with lateral 



ridges ; no crest ; ornamental breeding- 

 plumes on fore-neck ; inner secondaries 



with decomposed plumes as in an Ibis . . 2. Platibis, p. 51. 



b. Head entirely bare, with auricular orifice ex- 



posed ; no ornamental plumes on head or 

 neck, but some rosy feathers on the fore-neck ; 

 plumage tinged throughout with rosy 3. Ajaja, p. 52. 



1. PLATALEA. „ 



Type. 



Platea, Briss. Orn. v. p. 351 (1760) P. leucerodia. 



Platalea, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 231 (1766) P. leucerodia. 



Spatherodia, Reichenh. Av. Syst. Nat. p. xvi (1852) . . P. regia. 



Leucerodia, Reichenb. Av. Syst. Nat. p. xvi (1852) . . P. alba. 



[Cf. Ogilvie-Grant, Ibis, 1889, pp. 32-58.] 



Bange. Nearly cosmopolitan. 



Key to the Species. 



a. Throat bare, truncated on its lower margin. 



a'. Plumes of crown extending in front of the eyd, 

 and reaching near!}' to the base of the culmen ; 

 bare throat yellow, as well as the bare space 

 round the eye ; bill black, with yeUow 

 mottlings or corrugations [adult], or j'ellowish 



iyounff) leucerodia, p. 44. 



b'. Plumes of crown not extending so far as the 

 line of the eye, the whole forehead and region 

 of the eye bare. 

 a". Bare skin of face and throat always black ; 



feet black ; bill black >'eff>ci, p. 47. 



b". Bare skin of face and throat red ; feet and 



bill red, or yellow in skin alba, p. 49. 



b. Throat bare, but with a triangular projection of 



the feathers of the lower throat, extending in 



a point towards the chin minor, p. 50. 



