462 



ZOOLOGY— BIUDS. 



Niimcnius occidentalix, WoODlI., Sit^i'i'iive's Exp. Ziiui & Col. Itiv., 1854, 98 (Albu- 

 (lUfKiui', N. Mex.). 



Very numerous in sloughs near Fairfield, Utah, and tolerably common 

 in Eastern Nevada near small lakes. A wounded specimen was taken at 

 Fillmore in November. 



Mr. Aiken found it in Colorado dm-ing the past season, where also it 

 breeds. I have not seen it in Arizona and New Mexico, though according 

 to Dr. Coues it occurs in both Ten-itories in the breedinof season. 



Fam. TANTALIDAE : Ibises. 



TANTALUS LOCULATOK, Liuii. 



IVood Ibis. 



Tan)alm loculator, LiNN., Syst. Nat., i, 17(>0, 240.— Bd., Ive.s' Col. Exi^hI., 1857-58, pt. 

 iv, «.— IIEMIY, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sfi. Pliila., 1859, 108 (New Mexico).— Bd., 

 Birds N. A., 1858, 6S2.— Id., U. S. & Mex. Bound. Snrv., ii, pt. ii, 18."")9, 

 Birds, L'-l.— CoUES, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. I'liila., 1800, 9(i (Colorado Kivcr).— 

 /(/., Ke.v N. A. Birds, 1872, 262, f. 173. — Yakuuw, Kep. Orn. Specs., 1871, 

 Wheeler's Exped.,1874, 30. — Yakiiow vS: Hknshaw, Hep. Orn. Sju'cs., 1872, 

 Wheeler's Exped., 1874, 30. — CoUES, Birds Northwest, 1874, 513. 



The Wood Ibis has fallen imder my observation in but one locality, 

 Rush Lake, Utah, in October. The species is not, strictly speaking, migra- 

 tory, though I am inclined to think that they change their residences, often 

 moving from one point to another in search of spots which shall afford 

 them a plenteous supply of food. At Rush Lake, I saw several different 

 flocks, none composed of more than ten individuals. As I remarked 

 them usually taking to wing about nightfall, and others making tlieir 

 appearance in early morning, I concluded that the lake merely was used as 

 a way station, where they alighted to spend the day in search of food and 

 to recruit themselves for fartlier progress southward when night came on. 



They spent the time in wading about in the shallow water with slow, 

 deliberate steps, and seemingly found no little difficulty in satisfying their 



