576 ARDEID.E. 



In the adult bird the beak is dark purple brown, the lore 

 and the naked skin around the eyes olive green, tinged with 

 grey ; the irides hazel ; the head, the neck all round and 

 the interscapulars deep reddish brown ; wing-coverts and 

 tertials dark maroon brown with brilliant green and purple 

 reflections ; wing-primaries dark brownish black, tinged 

 with green ; tail-feathers brownish black, tinged with 

 purple ; breast, sides and belly deep reddish brown, like 

 the neck ; the under surface of the wings, the flanks and 

 under tail-coverts dark brown ; the legs and toes green, the 

 claws olive brown. 



The whole length of the bird about twenty-two inches. 

 From the carpal joint to the end of the wing ten inches and 

 three-quarters ; the first and fourth quill-feathers equal in 

 length, but shorter than the second and third, which are 

 also equal in length and the longest in the wing. 



M. Temminck says that females, at the same age, only 

 differ from males in being smaller in size. 



In young birds the head, cheeks, and upper part of the 

 neck behind are dull clove brown, intermixed with short 

 hair-like streaks of greyish white ; on the throat in front, 

 one and sometimes more patches of dull greyish white, 

 placed rather transversely ; the whole of the body above 

 and below, the wings and the tail, dull uniform liver brown, 

 with very little of the glossy tints observable in older birds, 

 which are obtained gradually. 



An opportunity occurred lately of obtaining some ex- 

 amples of the eggs of this Ibis. I possess one which 

 measures one inch and seven-eighths in length, by one 

 inch three-eighths in breadth ; in form pear-shaped, the 

 colour uniform bluish green, No. 51, of Werner's nomen- 

 clature by P. Syme. 



