THE GLOSSY IBIS. 271 



Genus PLEGADIS, Kaup. 



634. PLEGADIS FALCINELLUS. 

 THE GLOSSY IBIS. 



Tantalus falcinellus, Linn, tiyst. Nat. i. p. 241. Scolopax rufa, Scop. Ann. i. 

 p. 93. Numenius igneus, S. G. Gm. Nov. Comm. Petrop. xv. p. 460, t. 18. 

 Falcinellus igneus, Jerd. B. Ind. ii. p. 770 ; Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 636 ; 

 id. S. F. i. p. 257 ; Salvad. Ucc. Born. p. 360 ; Bl. B. Burin, p. 158 ; Elliot, 

 P. Z. S. 1877, p. 603 ; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 114 ; Doirj, S. F. viii. p. 377 ; Oates, 

 S. F. x. p. 245. Ibis falcinellus, flume, 8. F. iii. p. 192 ; David et Oust. Ois. 

 Chine, p. 455. Falcinellus rufus, Anders. Yunnan Exped. p. 684. Plegadis 

 falcinellus, Dresser, Birds Eur. vi. p. 335, pi. ; Legge, Birds Ceylon, p. 1109. 



Description. Male and female. Forehead, crown, nape, sides of the face, 

 chin and throat brown glossed with green ; the whole lower plumage, the 

 whole neck, back and lesser wing-coverts chestnut ; remainder of the 

 plumage black, glossed with bronze, purple and green. 



Iris brown, in some mottled with grey; bill dark livid brown; facial 

 skin livid, extending round the eye from the centre of the forehead and 

 thence to the sides of the lower mandible ; legs and feet bronzed brown, 

 bluish above the knee. (Legge.) 



Length 25 inches, tail 4*5, wing 11*5, tarsus 4, bill from gape 5*5. The 

 female is of about the same size. 



The Glossy Ibis is said by Mr. Blyth to occur in Arrakan. Capt. Feilden 

 observed it at Thayetmyo, in Pegu ; and I also once saw a flock of these 

 birds at the same place. 



It inhabits Europe, Africa, America and all the temperate and tropical 

 parts of Asia down to Australia. 



This Ibis is found in large flocks, frequenting tanks, marshes and paddy- 

 fields. It breeds on trees, constructing a nest of sticks and laying three 

 green eggs. 



