272 GAME BIEUS OF CALIFOENIA 



The White-faced Glossy Ibis chooses dense tiile thickets for its 

 breeding grounds. The nests are built in colonies and are composed 

 of dry tules and often lined with marsh grass. They are placed on 

 broken-down growing tules one to six feet above the water. In 

 "northern San Diego County," Shields (1894, pp. 108-109) found 

 new nests and completed sets slightly incubated on May 29, 1893. 

 The Mailliard collection contains a number of sets of two to four 

 eggs taken in Merced County on July 4 and 12, 1913. These eggs 

 varied from fresh to slightly incubated. The nests varied in height 

 above the water from one foot to eighteen inches. 



Willett and Jay (1911, p. 159) give the following account of the 

 nesting of the White-faced Glossy Ibis at San Jacinto Lake, River- 

 side County, as observed there May 28, 1911 : 



lu nearly every patch of tules was a nest or two of this species, and in 

 the patch farthest west which covered about a half acre, there must have been 

 at least two hundred nests. They were built on bent-down tules, and were 

 composed of tule stalks and lined with marsh grass. They were situated from 

 two to six feet above the water, the average height being about four feet. 

 About half the nests examined contained young and most of the others held 

 badly incubated eggs. A very few fresh sets were found but the height of 

 the nesting season was past. The sets almost invariably consisted of three or 

 four eggs. In one or two instances sets of two incubated eggs were noted, 

 and three nests contained five eggs each, two nests six eggs each, and one 

 nest had seven. It is probable that sets numbering more than five eggs were 

 deposited by more than one bird. In fact they invariably showed two differ- 

 ent types of eggs. The color of the eggs evidently fades with incubation, as 

 the heavily incubated eggs are much lighter blue than the freshly laid ones. 

 This is probably the largest breeding colony of these birds in southern Cali- 

 fornia west of the mountains. 



The White-faced Glossy Ibis is usually to be found in or near 

 marshes. It is ordinarily seen in small flocks wading in shalloAV 

 water, probing into the soft muddy ground with its long sickle-shaped 

 bill, or circling overhead with slow wing-beats and an occasional soar- 

 ing flight. While on the ground. Ibises have the dignified pose of 

 herons, but while on the wdng more nearly resemble cranes. 



The White-faced Glossy Ibis performs interesting aerial evolu- 

 tions. Chapman (1908, p. 292) describes this habit as witnessed near 

 Los Barios, Merced County, in the following words : 



In close formation, they soared skyward in a broad 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 

 thrilling 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 fifty feet from the ground, their 

 reckless dash was checked, and, on bowed wings, they turned abruptly and 

 shot upward. Shortly after, like the rush of a gust of wind, we heard the 



