256 
AYES. 
Genus 22.—TANTALUS.— Linnaeus. 
Generic Character. —Bill very long, straight, laterally com¬ 
pressed, destitute of a nasal furrow, base as thick as the head, 
sharp and curved at the tip ; upper mandible arched, sides dilat¬ 
ed, tip compressed, cylindrical, and slightly notched; under 
mandible equal with the superior one, inflated at the base, and 
slightly bent towards the tip ; both mandibles greatly inflected, 
and sharp ; face destitute of feathers; nostrils longitudinal and 
oblong, cleft in the horny substance; legs very long; tarsus 
double the length of the middle toe; three anterior toes, united 
by a broad scalloped membrane; hallux long, and resting on the 
ground; wings long, first and second quill the longest. 
Tantalus leucocephalus. — The White-Headed Tantalus. 
Plate LXVIII. fig. 5. 
Head, neck, back, scapulars, and middle wing-coverts, white; 
secondaries rose-coloured, the lower ones tipped with white, 
rest of the wings dark iridescent blue-gray, reflecting purple and 
green; smaller wing-coverts tipped with white; breast with a 
transverse belt of waved black bars; face, throat, and bill, saf¬ 
fron-yellow; irides orange; legs yellow and violet. Four feet 
long. Inhabits Ceylon. 
Genus 23.—IBIS.— Lacepede. 
Generic Character. —Bill long, slender, arcuated, broad at the 
base, tip obtuse, depressed, and rounded; upper mandible fur¬ 
rowed its whole length ; nostrils oblong, straight, near the base 
of the bill, perforated in the membrane, which covers the fur¬ 
row ; face, and frequently part of the head and neck, destitute 
of feathers; lower half of the tibia naked; tarsus about the 
same length as the middle toe; three anterior toes, united the 
length of the first joint; hallux long, resting on the ground; 
wings of medium length, first quill longest. 
Ibis relvjiosa. — The Sacred, or Egyptian Ibis. 
Plate LXII. fig. 2. 
White; head, neck, and legs, gray; tail iridescent-black; 
irides ferruginous. Fifteen inches long. Inhabits Egypt. 
