SCOLOPACID^. 



BCOLOPACi n.*:. 



Dray ton thus oelebrates it in the Five-and-Twentieth Song' of his 



Polyolbion ' : 



"The Port, Golwit. Stint, the pallmt Uut allure 

 Tho mtirr tnd doe make a w.lrful rplcute." 



Tantaltu. Linnvus. This genus stands between the genera Ardea 

 and .Sfo/o,j, in the twelfth edition of the 'Syrtema Nature).' 



i '..vicr places the genus Tantalu between the Open-Beaks (Oiani, 

 Ucc>.; Anattomut, III) and the Spoonbills (Platalea, Linn.). He 

 characterises the genus as having the feet, the nostrils, and the bill of 



stork; but the back of the bill is, he observes, rounded, and il 

 point curved downwards and slightly notched on each side ; a portion 

 of the head, and sometimes of the neck, is. he adds denuded of 

 feathers. He notices the following species : The American Tautalu, 

 T. loculalor. Linn. ; the African Tantalus, T. Ibii, Linn. ; and the 

 Ceylooese Ibis, T. UucoeepluUui, the largest of all. 



ir. Ibii is white slightly clouded with purple on the wings, with a 

 yellow beak, and the skin of the face naked and red. Cuvier says 

 that it was for a long time regarded by naturalists as the bird so much 

 revered by the ancient Egyptians under the name of Ibii, but that 

 recent researches had proved that the Ibii is a much smaller species, 

 of which he intends to treat thereafter. This specie*, he states, is noV 

 commonly found in Egypt, but that it had been brought from Senegal. 

 Tantaltu he arranges in the family C'ultirotlret. 



Ibit (Cnv.) finds a place in the ' Rcgne Animal ' as the second genus 

 of Cuvier*s fonyirottrrt. between Scoiopax and Numeniut (Cuv.). 



The bill is slender, cylindrical, and arched from the base ; nostrils 

 basal, lateral. Wings broad, ample; the second and third quills 



Cuvier states that he has separated the Ibises from the Tantali of 

 Gmelin, because their bill, arched like that of the Tantali, is never- 

 theless much more feeble, and without any notch at tbe point, whilst 

 the nostrils, pierced towards the back of its base, are each prolonged 

 into a furrow which continues to the tip. The bill, he adds, is rather 

 thick, and nearly square at its base. There is always, ho further 

 remarks, some part of the head, or even of the neck, denuded of 

 feathers. The external toes are notably palmated at their base, and 

 the hind toe is sufficiently long to touch the earth. Some of the 

 species, he observes, have the legs short and reticulated : these are 

 the most robust and have the largest bill 



/. rdiyioia, the Sacred Ibis. Abou-Hannes, Bruce ; Tantalut <Ethi< 

 picutol Latham; L'Ibis SacnS, Cuv. 



Stcrnl III. (/ftii rtlifiota), Car. Adult. 



" This," says Cuvier, " in the most celebrated species : it was reared 

 in the temples of ancient Egypt, with veneration which approached to 

 worship; and it was embalmed after its death, as some said, bocaus 

 it devoured the serpents which would otherwise have become danger- 

 ous to the country : according to others, because there was a resem 

 liUnce between its plumage and some of the phases of the moon 

 finally, according to other some, becaure its advent announced th 

 rising of the Nile. For a long time it was thought that this Ibis o 

 the Egyptians was the Tnntattu of Africa : we now know that it belongs 

 to the genus of which we are treating. It i as large as a hen, wit 

 white plumage, except the end of th wing feathers, which is black 

 the last coverts have their barbs elongated, loose, black, with viole 



reflections, and thus covering the end of the wings and tail. The bill 



and the feet are black, as well as all the naked part of the head and 



eck : this part is covered In youth, at least on its upper surface, with 



mall blackish feathers. The specie* is found throughout the extent 



f Africa." [Anou-HAKNES.] 



The other species noticed by Cuvier are L' Ibis Rouge (Seolopax 

 ruber, Linn. ; Tantal<u ruber, Ota.) and L'Ibis Vert, vulg. Courlis Vert 

 Seolopax falcineUut, Linu.). (' Kigiie Animal.') 



/. falcintlltu, L'Ibis Vert, is purpled chestnut, with a deep-green 

 mantle. The young with the head and neck sprinkled with whitish, 

 t is a native of the south of Europe and north of Africa. 



This, Cuvier observes, is to all appearance the species which the 

 ancients called the Black Ibis. [Auou-HANJiES,J 



/. ruber, tbe Scarlet Ibis, Tantalus ruber of Linntsur, Red Curlew of 

 Catcsby. This species is 23 inches in length and 37 in alar extent Bill 

 i inches long, thick, and of a somewhat square form at the base, gradually 

 nt downwards and sharply ridged ; black, except near the base, 

 where it inclines to red. Iris dark-hazel The face naked, slightly 

 wrinkled, pale-red. Chin bare, wrinkled also. Plumage rich, glowing 

 scarlet, except about three inches of the extremities of the four outer 

 quill-feathers, which are deep steel-blue. Legs pale red; tho three 

 jiterior toes united by a membrane as far as the first joint. 

 Nuttall.) 



" This brilliant and exclusively American species inhabits chiefly,' 

 jays Nuttall, " witbiu the tropics, abounding in the West India and 

 Bahama Islands, and south of the equator, at leant as far as Brazil. 

 They migrato in the course of the summer (about July and August) 

 nto Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina ; but retire into 

 Mexico, or the Caribbean Islands, at the approach of cool weather. 

 They generally associate in numbers, frequenting the borders of the 

 sea,, and the banks and actuaries of neighbouring rivers, feeding on 

 small fry, shell-fish, Crustacea, worms', and insects, which they collect 

 at the ebbing of the tide. They are said to be in the habit of perching 

 on trees in companies ; but they lay their eggs, which are greeui^li, un 

 ;ho ground, amidst the tall grass of the marshes, on a slight nest of 

 leaves. When just hatched the young are black, soon changing to 

 jray, but are nearly white before they ara able to fly ; by degrees 

 they attain their red plumage, which is not complete until the thin! 

 year. The young and old associate in distinct bands. In the countries 

 where they abound they ore sometimes domesticated, and accompany 

 the poultry. The Ibis shows great courage in attacking the fowls, 

 and will even defend iUelf from the insidious attacks of the cat It 

 is generally esteemed as good food ; and its rich and gaudy plumage 

 is used by the Brazilians for various ornaments." (Nuttall, ' Manual 

 of the Ornithology of the United States and of Canada,') 



Tho following is' Mr. Q. R. Gray's arrangement of the British species 

 of this family in the collection of the British Museum. He refers 

 the genus Ibu to the family Ardeidte, and tt> the tribe Tanlatincr, the 

 only British species of which is /. falcinellut, the Glossy Ibis : 



SCOLOPACID& 



I. Limonnac. 



\umcniia arquata, the Common Curlew. 

 iV. phaopua, the Whimbrel. 



Limota Lapponica, the Bar-Tailed God wit. 

 L. cegocephala, the Black-Tailed Godwit 



II. Totcmina. 



Tolannt futcut, the Spotted Redshank. 

 T. Calidrit, the Common Redshank. 

 T. ochroput, the Green-Sandpiper. 



T. GlareuU, the Wood Sandpiper. 



T. ylottit, the Oreenshauk. 



Tringoida macularia, tho Spotted-Sandpiper. 



T. hypoleuca, the Common Sandpiper. 



T. rnfcicmt, the Buff-Breasted Sandpiper. 



III. Recurrirottritut. 



Recurvirottra avocrtta, the Avocet [AvocET.] 

 J/imantoput candidia, the Block- Winged Stilt 



IV. Trinyimr. 



Philomachut pugnax, the Hull". 

 Triiu/a Canutut, the Knot 

 T. maritima, the Purple Sandpiper. 

 T. pectoralit, the Pectoral Sandpiper. 

 T. Schinzii, Sohinz's Sandpiper. 

 T. alpina, the Dunlin. 

 T. minuta, the Little Stint 

 T. Temminckii, Tomminck's Stint 

 T. tubarquata, the Curlew Sandpiper. 

 T. pygmaa, the Broad-Billed Sandpiper. 

 CalUirit arcnaria, the Sanderling. 



A'. Xmhpacitur. 



Macroramphut griteut, tho Brown Snipe. 

 ti'illinago major, the Great Snij*. 



