ON THE IBIS, 



doubted that it was the true black ibis of the 

 ancients. M. Savigny also made a drawing of it 

 in Egypt, but from a young individual only*. 

 Buffon's figure is from an adult bird ; but its co- 

 lours are too pale. 



The error which prevails at present respecting 

 the white ibis began with Perrault, who was also 

 the first naturalist who made known the Tanta- 

 lus ibis of the present day. This error, adopted 

 by Brisson and Buffon, passed into the twelfth 

 edition of Linnaeus, where it is blended with that 

 of Hasselquist, which had been inserted in the 

 tenth, forming with it a compound altogether 

 monstrous. 



It was founded on the idea, that the ibis was 

 essentially a bird that destroyed serpents, and 

 upon this very natural conclusion, that, in order 

 to enable it to devour these reptiles, it was neces- 

 sary for it to have a sharp beak, more or less re- 

 sembling that of the heron. This idea is even 

 the only good objection that can be made against 

 the identity of our bird to the ibis. How, it is 

 urged, could a bird with a weak bill, a curlew, 

 devour those dangerous reptiles ? 



It may be replied, that positive proofs, such 

 descriptions, figures, and mummies, ought always 



* See the Great Work on Egypt, Natural History of 

 Birds, pi. vii. fig, 2. 



