I04 ALLIlN's NA'IURAl.ISl'S LIBRARY. 



by a very moderate ciest, and a somewhat short tail, beyond 

 which the feet extend, when at full length, while the toes are 

 strong, with sharp and pointed claws, that of the middle toe 

 being nearly straight. 



Three species of Glossy Ibis arc known, P. faUinellus^ found 

 nearly over the whole of the Old World, P. guarauna, mostly 

 a South American species, which extends to the Southern 

 United States, and P. ridgwayi of Peru and Bolivia. 



I. THE GLOSSY IDIS. PLEGADIS FALCINEr.LUS. 



Tantalus falcijiellus^ Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 241 (1766). 



Ibis falciiiellus^ Macg. Br. B. iv. p. 493 (1852); Seebohm, Br. 



B. ii. p. 520 (1884). 

 Ple^adis falcmellus^ Dresser, B. Eur. vi. p. 335, pL 409 (1878); 



B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 113 (1883); Saunders, ed. Yarr. 



Br. B. iv. p. 231 (1884); id. Man. Br. B. p. 379 ([88q); 



Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. B. part xxvii. (1893); Sharpe, Cat. 



B. Brit. Mus. xxvi. p. 29. 



^Plale LXXI.) 

 Adult Male.— General colour above black, with glossy rejec- 

 tions of various shades of green or bronzy-purple ; upper 

 mantle deep maroon-chestnut, as also the lesser wing-coverts 

 and scapulars, the latter having bronzy tips ; median and 

 greater coverts duller and more oily-green, with bronze or 

 steel-green reflections ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and 

 qui Is entirely glossy green, the secondaries with purplish 

 reflections ; lower back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail 

 black, with varying reflections of purple and oily- or bronzy- 

 green ; head and neck all round, as well as the under surface 

 of the body, deep maroon-chestnut, somewhat lighter on the 

 chest and breast ; forehead and fore-part of crown glossy • 

 green, as also the base of the cheeks and a slight shade below 

 the eye ; under tail-coverts and under wing-coverts and axil- 

 laries black, with metallic reflections of green and purple, the 

 quill-lining similarly glossed ; bill and feet dark brownish- 

 olive; iris brown. Total length, 22 inches ; culmen, 5-2 ; wing, 

 11*2; tail, 3*9; tarsus, 4*2. 



Adult Female. — Similar to the male, but a little smaller, and 

 with a shorter bill. 



