528 Mr. E. Gibson on.the Ornithology of [Ibis, 



a Lapwing's nest in spite of the owners^ strenuous 

 defence. 



The nesting-habits have been fully described formerly. 

 Of nearly a score nests subsequently examined, the full 

 clutch has never exceeded four eggs and as often consists 

 of three. The average measurement of these is 74 x 52 mm. 



326. Tantalus loculator Linn, The Wood-Ibis. 



Adult male. Iris dark blue. Head and upper half of neck 

 bare, of a dusky black colour with a shade of purple in it 

 and covered with whitish scales. A horny plate on the vertex 

 of the head of a light brown colour. Base of bill black 

 verging into dark brown. Legs bluish ; feet flesh or pale 

 salmon colour ; claws black. Under surface of wings tinged 

 with pale pinky-yellow. 



Female similar. 



Young. Iris dark blue ; bead black, upper half of neck 

 dusky ; bill yellowish or bone-colouv ; legs and feet dark 

 grey, almost black, at feet-joint pink mottled with black. 



The Wood-Ibis is entirely a summer visitor, though not 

 necessarily an invariable one, some years passing without 

 its putting in an appearance at all in our district. On the 

 whole, since 1875, I have observed it with considerable 

 regularity — alone, in pairs, small flocks, or even gatherings 

 of as many as one to two hundred. The first arrivals 

 have been as early as 12 November, tlie latest departures 

 22 April, the two extremes consisting of stragglers. Years 

 of drought are the most favoured ; in the first summer of 

 the great flood only four were seen, and these at the 

 curiously late date of 27 March. Some of the arrivals 

 would seem to consist of immature birds only, others of 

 adults, or again of both. Occasionally they are to be found 

 on the open plains, but as a rule they gather to the 

 shrunken laguuas and mud-holes, and one wonders how 

 they eke out a livelihood in these situations. Easily ap- 

 proached on horseback, they are shy of the gunner on foot. 

 As late as January of 1917 I surprised a flock of approxi- 

 mately two hundred at a small laguna (all that was left of 



