ON THE IBIS. 305 



had the politeness to shew us the bones which he 

 had taken from two mummies of the ibis, and to 

 open along with us two others. These bones were 

 found similar to those of Colonel Grobert's mum- 

 mies ; one of the four only was smaller, but it 

 was easy to judge by the epiphyses that it had 

 belonged to a young individual. 



The only figure of the beak of an embalmed 

 ibis, which does not entirely agree with the objects 

 which we have had under our eyes, is that of Ed- 

 wards (pi. cv.) ; it is a ninth part larger, and yet 

 we do not doubt its accuracy, for M. Olivier shew- 

 ed us also a beak an eighth or a ninth longer than 

 the others, or in the proportion of 180 to 165, 

 which had been equally taken from a mummy. 

 This beak only shews that there were among the 

 ibises individuals larger than others ; but it proves 

 nothing in favour of the tantalus, for it has not 

 at all the form of the beak of that animal. Its 

 beak is perfectly similar to that of the curlews ; 

 and besides, the beak of the tantalus is a third 

 longer than that of our largest embalmed ibises, 

 and two-fifths longer than that of the smallest. 



We have ascertained further, that similar vari- 

 ations with regard to the size of the beak exist in 

 our European curlews, according to the age and 

 sex. They are still more strongly marked in the 

 green curlew of Italy, and in our godwits ; and 

 this variation appears to be a property common to 



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