THE MADAGASCAR OPEN-BILL. BIRDS. THE SACRED IBIS. 



415 



THE MADAGASCAR OPEN-BILL (Anastomus lamelli- 

 gerus Plate 26, fig. 99 is also a species of the group 

 of Storks, but is distinguished from all the preceding 

 forms by the curious conformation of its bill. This 

 organ is long and stout, as in the other Storks, and the 

 mandibles are in apposition for the basal half of their 

 length ; but from this point to near the tip they are 

 separated by a small interval, the tips again coming in 

 contact. The edges of the open part of the bill are 

 furnished with numerous lamellae, or little plates. This 

 bird, which is found in Southern Africa and Mada- 

 gascar, is about the size of the common Stork, which it 

 resembles in its habits. Another species (A. oscitans] 

 inhabits the continent of India. 



THE TUFTED UMBRE (Scopus umbretta) Plate 26, 

 fig. 100. This remarkable species, which is an inhabit- 

 ant of Africa, is about the size of a crow, and of a brown 

 colour ; the male has the back of the head adorned 

 with a large crest. The bill is much compressed, and 

 its upper mandible is furrowed along the sides and 

 terminated by a curved or slightly hooked tip. 



THE BAL2ENICEPS (Balceniceps rex). This singular 

 bird, which is an inhabitant of Nubia and the banks of 

 the White Nile, was described about ten years ago by 



Mr. Gould, who regarded it as in some respects allied 

 to the Pelicans. It was placed by Mr. Gray amongst 

 the Herons and in the neighbourhood of the Boatbill, 

 with which curious bird it has some analogy in tho 

 form of its bill; but Professor Reinhardt of Copenhagen, 

 in a paper recently published, contends, and apparently 

 with good reason, that the Balseniceps is most nearly 

 allied to the Umbre, also an African bird, with which 

 it would form a small subordinate group, standing in 

 the immediate vicinity of the Storks. The Balseniceps 

 is a large and powerful bird, measuring about four 

 feet and a half in length ; its head is large and bears 

 a broad, somewhat depressed bill, of which the upper 

 mandible is spoon-shaped, but terminated by a strong 

 hook. It stands upon a pair of long slender legs, of 

 which the naked reticulated part extends for a con- 

 siderable distance above the tarsal joints. 



THE SACRED IBIS (Geronticus celhiopicus) fig. 129. 

 The group of birds to which the common name of Ibis 

 is given, is distinguished from the other forms of the 

 present family by the slender and elongated form of 

 the bill, which is obtuse at the tip and gently curved 

 downwards. The Sacred Ibis, which is an inhabitant 

 of many parts of Africa, was regarded witli great 



Fig. 129. 



The Sacred Ibis (Geronticus a-thiopicus). 



veneration by the ancient Egyptians, who kept many 

 of these birds in the courts of their temples, and fre- 

 quently embalmed their bodies after death. The Ibis 

 is also constantly to be found represented on the sculp- 

 tured monuments of Egypt. It is about the size of a 

 large fowl, and its plumage is white, with the exception 

 of the tips of the wings, which are black ; the head 

 and greater part of the neck are nearly naked and 

 black, and the bill and feet are black. 



THE MILKY IBIS (Tantalus lacteus) Plate 26, fig. 

 101 belongs to a genus in which the bill is stouter 

 than in that including the Sacred Ibis, but in which 

 the head and part of the neck are still bare of feathers. 

 This bird is an inhabitant of Java. 



THE AFRICAN TANTALUS (Tantalus Ibis}, which" 



was long supposed to be the Sacred Ibis of the Egyp- 

 tians, is found chiefly in the tropical parts of Africa, 

 especially on the western coast. It resembles the last 

 species, but has the naked skin of the face red. 



THE SCARLET IBIS (Ibis nibrd) is a beautiful 

 species of a bright scarlet colour, with the tip of the 

 wings black, which inhabits the marshes bordering the 

 great rivers of South America, and is described as 

 one of the chief ornaments of those regions. It has 

 only a small portion of the head naked. 



THE GLOSSY IBIS (Ibis falcinellus), which is nearly 

 allied to the last species, appears to be distributed over 

 nearly all parts of the known world. It is occasionally 

 seen in this country, and even finds its way as far 

 north as Sweden. In ancient Egypt this bird shared 



