BIRDS — TANTALIDAE IBIS OBDII, 



685 



IBIS ORDII, Bo nap. 



Glossy Ibis. 



?? Tantalus mexicnmis, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 652. 



Tantalus mexicanuSt Ord, J. A. N. Sc. I, 1817, 53. 



Ibisfalcinellus, Bonap. Obs. 1825, No. 199.— Ib. Syn. 312.— Is. Am. Orn. IV, 1831, 23 ; pl.xxiii — Nuttali., Man. II, 



1834, 88.— AuD. Orn. Riog IV, 1838, 608 ; pi. 387.— Ib. Syn. 257— Ib. Birds Amer. VI, 1843, 50 ; 



pi. 358. 

 Jbis ordii, Bonap. List, 1838. 

 Fttlcinellus ordii, Bonap. Consp. II, 1855, 159. 

 ? Ibis guarauna, Woodhobse, Sitgreaves' Exp. 1853, 98. 



Sp. Ch. — Forehead feathered almost to the bill. Color chestnut ; the top of head and back metallic green, glossed with 

 purple. Kill dusky; tlie naked skin at base slate blue. Length, 20.50 inches ; wing, 10 ; tarsus, 3.30 ; bill above, 4.30. 

 Hab. — Found singly and at intervals over the whole United States. 



General color, including the lesser wing coverts, opaque purplish orange chestnut brown. 

 Top of head and nape, both sides of wing, (except the lesser coverts,) and the tail, metallic 

 green, glossed variously with ])urple ; the interscapular region and anterior scapulars purple 

 chestnut. The opaque feathers of the neck and head edged obscurely with dusky ; the bare 

 skin of the head all round bordered by whitish. The bill is dusky in the skin ; in life it is said 

 to be blackish ; the bare skin at the base slate blue. The feet grayish black. 



Young specimens are similar, except that the head and neck are of an opaque dull greyish 

 brown, the feathers more or less edged narrowly with whitish. 



The synonomy of thi^ species is in very great confusion, and it is difficult to say what name it 

 should bear. Admitting it to be distinct from the European Ibisfalcinellus, the earliest name for an 

 American bird is Tantalus guaruana, of Linnaeus, which, however, is considered by Bonaparte 

 to be distinct, and confined to South America. The T. mexicanus of Gmelin, referred to the 

 same species by Bonaparte, seems to have as much claim to identity with the North American 

 as with the more southern bird. The T. chalcopterus of Temminck belongs to the South 

 American species. Setting aside T. mexicanus of Gmelin as too uncertain for the present case, 

 the next name in order is the ordi of Bonaparte. 



List of specimens. 



