26 Dr. B. S. Barton's Account of 



the notice of the late Mr. Wilson, author of the American Orni- 

 thology. Tliis gentleman has noticed only three species of the 

 genus Tantalus, viz. Tantalus Loculator, or Wood Ibis; T. ruber, 

 or scarlet Ibis ; and T. albus, or white Ibis. I think it highly 

 probable that the two last birds are really one and the same 

 species. 



I am fully sensible how imperfect are these notices : but I have 

 not hitherto been able to obtain any thing more satisfactory on 

 the subject, though I have for several years endeavoured, through 

 the medium of my correspondents in the country of the Musco- 

 gulge, or Creek-Indians, to obtain a specimen of the bird. I have 

 no doubt that I shall ultimately be successful in my researches. 

 In this case, I shall not fail to communicate something much 

 more satisfactory on the subject to the Linnoean Society, whose 

 pursuits are at all times highly interesting to me. 



I shall only further observe at present, that should the Crying 

 Bird prove to be a new species of Tantalus (I mean a species not 

 noticed by any systematic ornithologist), it may be well to call 

 it Tantalus Ephouskyca. This, I have already observed, is its In- 

 dian name, the literal meaning of which has been mentioned. 

 Ephous, or Ephaus, in the language of the Creek Indians, signifies 

 a bird. — Nor will those who are well versed in the study of the 

 oriental languages, fail to observe how close is the affinity be- 

 tween this word and the word for bird in the language of the an- 

 cient Chaldeans : I may add, even in the Hebrew. That this af- 

 finity is not accidental, will appear more probable from what I am 

 now to state ; that the Creek and other North-American lan- 

 guages contain many words that are most palpably derived from 

 the Clialdaic, Hebrew, Persian, &c.* 



There is no reason to believe that the Tantalus Epiioushjca has 



* See my New Views, &c. Philadelphia, 1/98. 



ever 



