18'2 BIEDS OF TUNISIA 



its flight and in its sedate movements when on tlie ground. Like 

 that bird, too, it is said to utter no true cry, but claps the mandibles 

 of its bill together. It is sociable in its habits, and generally to be 

 found in large or small flocks, but is occasionally met with singly. 



Its food consists of small fish, frogs, crustaceans and aquatic 

 insects. It breeds, as a rule, in colonies, and the nest, composed 

 chiefly of dry rushes or flags, is placed either in trees, or on the 

 ground among reeds. The eggs, usually four in number, are dull 

 white, rough in texture, and slightly marked with reddish-brown. 

 Their average measurements are 64 X 46 mm. 



Family IBIDID.E. 



IBIS EREMITA (Linnajus) 



RED-CHEEKED IBIS. 



Corvus eremita, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 159 (1766). 



Comatibis comata, Shmye, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxvi, p. 16 ; Loche, 



Expl. Sci. Alg. Ois. ii, p. 153 (18G7) ; Kocnicj, J. f. 0. 1893, p. 79. 

 Ibis calvus, Malherbe, Faunc Orn. dc I'Alg. p. 31 (1855). 



Description. — Adult male, from Asia Minor {fide Dresser). 



General plumage dark coppery-green, crown black ; head and throat 

 bare; feathers on the neck elongated and pointed, forming a ruff; lesser 

 wing-coverts rich coppery-purple. 



Bill, naked throat and head, with the legs dull blood-red ; iris fiery red. 



Culmen 5-2, wing lG-7, tail 85, tarsus 3-0 inches. 



The tips of the tail-feathers are abruptly acuminate. 



Sexes alike. 



The young bird is duller in colour, lacks the elongated feathers on the 

 hind neck, and the head and neck are covered with dirty white feathers, 

 tinged with rusty brown. 



Observation. — Dr. Hartcrt (Nov. Zool. ix, p. 318 and p. 339) describes 

 the plumage of this bird as black, with a metallic gloss of beautiful green, 

 red and copper on the wings, the bare parts being as follows : bill sealing- 

 wax red, iris orange-red, lighter towards the pupil, edge of eyelid red, under 

 eyelid, as far as folded, whitish, top of head dull slate-black with a reddish 

 orange-yellow stripe in the middle, bare skin on the sides of the head below 

 the eyes and the entire throat cherry- red, feet dirty red. 



Dr. Hartert states that the bill of examples from Marocco is in general 



