1877.] MR. D. G. ELLIOT ON THE IBIDIN^. 501 



Hab. Africa, Gambia, Old Calabar (Jard.) ; Mossambiquc 

 (Peters). 



Mr. Ayres states that the Cafifer Ibis go in families of from four 

 to twelve individuals. They frequent the dense bush when feeding, 

 and are usually very wary. They feed on beetles and other insects, 

 hunting for them in old gardens and other locahties where these are 

 most abundant. Their notes are loud and harsh, and in still weather 

 can be heard for a considerable distance. They generally roost in 

 high trees overhanging the water ; and the nest, which is built of 

 coarse sticks and lined with fine grass, is placed upon a bough. It 

 is made just large enough to keep the eggs from rolling out. In the 

 colony of Natal these birds are becoming very scarce, as when pro- 

 perly cooked their flesh is very good, and great numbers are killed. 

 Dr. A, Brehm, who met with this species in Seiinaar, gives the 

 following account of it in the ' Journal fiir Ornithologie,' 1858, 

 p. 330 : — " Towards evening he begins to think of his night quarters, 

 which are single trees close to the river, or standing on islands. 

 Here he meets his sacred cousin the 'Insatiable' (Tantalus ibis), 

 the Marabu, the Spoonbill, one or other of the Pelicans, and similar 

 company, frequently also a troop of monkeys, with whom he vies in 

 roaring till a late hour of the night. A monkey will sometimes 

 amuse himself by trying to catch the Ibis by his tuft, or by other- 

 wise annoying him ; then, indeed, he can be heard to roar ! He rises, 

 shrieks as if he were spitted, circles round the tree several times, and 

 again sweeps back to his place, when the monkey is perhaps mis- 

 chievous enough once move to disturb his bedfellow, and the old 

 row begins afresh, although the patriarch of the monkey-herd has 

 several times, with his deep gurgling tones, admonished the offenders 

 to keep the peace." 



As this species does not apparently agree with any of the other 

 genera, I have retained for it Bonaparte's term Hagedashia ; and since 

 the name chalcoptera was bestowed upon the species by Vieillot in 

 1817, that will of necessity become the specific title to be em- 

 ployed. 



Top of head, neck, and entire underparts very light brown, 

 feathers edged with white ; cheeks and throat dark greyish brown, 

 with a white line beneath and behind the brown on the cheeks, 

 and a naked space upon the lower margin of mandible ; upper parts 

 and scapulars yellowish bronzy green ; wings pale metallic green, 

 changing to a rose-colour in certain lights ; secondaries dark blue ; 

 tertials deep blue, their outer webs yellowish bronze, forming a 

 bar beneath the light green across the wings when closed ; primaries 

 dark purple-brown ; bill black, ridge towards the base crimson ; 

 legs and feet dull red. 



Total length 26 inches ; wing 15, tail 6|, bill along culmen 4-|, 

 tarsus 2g. 



16. BOSTRYCHIA CARUNCULATA. 



Ibis canmculatus, Riipp. Faun. Abyss, t. xix. (1835); Ileugl, 

 Ornith. Nordost-Afr. (1873) Band ii. Abth. 1, p. Ii3«». 



