202 BIRDS OF EGYPT. 



Head and neck bare and black ; end of the primaries 

 black, with metallic green reflections ; secondaries elongated, 

 forming a plume over the tail, which is black, with purple re- 

 flections ; remainder of the plumage pure white ; legs and 

 beak black ; irides dark brown. 



Entire length 28 inches; culmen 5'5 ; wing, carpus to 

 tip, 14 ; tarsus 3'5. 



Fig. Savigny, Descr. de I'Egypte, pi. 7, fig. 1. 



269. Ibis palcinellxjs, Linn. Glossi/ Ibis. 



The Glossy Ibis ranges throughout Egypt and Nubia, 

 where it remains during the year, but is not very abundant. 

 I only met with it on one occasion, near El Kab, in April, 

 where I saw three feeding together in a small pool, and pro- 

 cured two of them. 



Top of the head and cheeks, back, wings, tail, flanks, and 

 under tail-coverts bright metallic green and purple ; remainder 

 of the plumage, upper part of the back, and a broad band on 

 the wing-coverts bordering the shoulders bright ferruginous 

 brown ; beak and legs olive-black ; irides dark brown. 



Entire length 22 inches ; culmen 5'S ; wing, carpus to 

 tip, 11*5 ; tarsus 4. 



The female is similar in plumage but rather smaller than 

 the male. 



Fig. Gould, B. of Eur. pi. 311. 



270. Tantalus ibis, Linn. African Wood-Ibis. 



This bird wanders northward into Upper Egypt during the 

 time of the inundations, according to Von Hcuglin (Syst. 

 Ucb. p. 61). 



