116 BIRDS OF LA PLATA 
these gradually extended “ntil by the end of May, 
the adult plumage was all acquired. Then my interest 
in Byles ceased, and latterly he strayed away to his 
native swamps.” 
WOOD-IBIS 
Tantalus loculator 
White ; greater wing-coverts and wing- and tail-feathers black with 
bronze reflections; head and upper part of neck naked, dusky; 
vertex covered with a horny place ; sides of head purplish ; feet slaty ; 
length 44, wing 17 inches. Female similar. 
Most people in the Plata region are familiar with 
this bird of the marshes, its lofty stork-like figure 
and white plumage making it a very conspicuous 
object. 
On the pampas it is not uncommon in summer 
and autumn, and goes in flocks of a dozen or twenty. 
The birds are usually seen standing motionless in 
groups or scattered about in spiritless attitudes, 
apparently dozing away the time. On the wing it 
appears to better advantage, having a singularly 
calm, stately flight; on a warm, still day they are 
often seen soaring in circles far up in the sky. 
I have never heard of this bird nesting on the 
pampas, and am inclined to think that it only breeds 
in forest regions, and visits the marshes in the tree- 
less districts after the young have flown. 
Its habits in North America, where it is called 
the ‘‘ Wood-Ibis,’”’ are tolerably well known, and in 
