1877.] MR. D. G. ELLIOT ON THE IBIDIN.E. 499 



and seek the nearest watercourse. When Bying they frequently make 

 eccentric evolutions, the entire flock descending with great rapidity, 

 each individual wheeling about in a zig-zag course. In this manner 

 they go on for some time, screaming loudly all the while. Their 

 flight is swift and easy, and on the arrival of spring they depart for 

 the south, making their summer resort probably in the northern 

 part of Patagonia. This Ibis was observed, however, in the Straits of 

 Magellan by Dr. Cunningham in various localities during the months 

 of December, January, and February. It was shy and wary, flying 

 in flocks of from four to eight, and had a cry resembling qua-qua, 

 qua-qna. It was found rather good eating. In a female he pro- 

 cured he found the sternum had a very deep keel, and the scapulte 

 were broad. The portion of the trachea below the insertion of the 

 sterno-tracheal muscles, though presenting no striking peculiarity of 

 form, had the bony rings ankylosed so as to form an immovable 

 tube. The stomach was crammed with worms and large larvse. An 

 egg obtained at Elizabeth Island was 2'71 X 1-86. " Dull surface, 

 of a pale greenish white, with engrained blotches (mostly small) of 

 neutral tint, and some few blotches, spots and specks of deep dull 

 brown ; towards the larger end some hair-like streaks of a lighter 

 shade of the same, and so far having an Ibidine or Plataleine cha- 

 racter ; but at flrst sight the egg looks as if it might have been laid 

 by an exhausted Gull." This resembles the egg described by Mr. 

 Darwin (Z. c). 



This species is known generally to ornithologists as Ibis (Theris- 

 ticus) melanopis, the name given to it by Gmelin. This, however, 

 is antedated by Boddaert, who conferred upon the CourJy h col blanc 

 de Cayenne of Bufi'on {I. c.) the appellation Scolopax ! caudatus, 

 which, having priority over all others, must be the one for the spe- 

 cies to bear in future. 



Sides of throat, and lores bare, skin black ; top of head and lower 

 part of neck in front reddish chestnut ; neck white, a narrow line of 

 feathers running up the centre of the throat to the chin ; back and 

 wing greyish brown, with green reflections, feathers edged with light 

 brown or whitish ; tertials and outer webs of secondaries for two thirds 

 their basal length white, remainder dark green ; primaries dark green ; 

 rump and upper tail- coverts light bronzy green ; tail dark bronze- 

 green ; underparts brownish black with green reflections. Total 

 length 33 inches ; wing 16|, tail 9|, bill along culmen 7, tarsus 3 J. 



14. LOPHOTIBIS CRISTATA. 



Le Courtis huppe, Buff. Plan. Enlum. no. 841. 



Tantalus cristahis, Bodd. Tabl. PI. Enl. Daub. (1783) p. 51 ; 

 Gmel. Syst. Nat. (1788) vol. i. p. 652. sp. 13 ; Lath. Ind, Orn. 

 (1790) vol. ii. p. 709. sp. 20. 



Ibis cristata, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat. (1817) vol. xvii. 

 p. 19; id. Ency. Meth. (1823) tom. iii. p. 1148 ; Wagl. Svst. Av. 

 (1827) sp. 13 ; Schleg. Mus. P.-Bas (1863) livr. 4. p. 6 ; id. Proc. 

 Zool. Soc. (1866) p. 425 ; Schleg. & Poll. Recher. Faun. Madag. 

 (1868) p. 127. 



32* 



