Contributions to the Orniihology of India, 8fc. 257 



©f the Punjab^ and of tlie Xndus in Sindhj the spoonbill w:is re- 

 peatedly met with in lavg-e flocks. In the broads and lakes it was^ 

 I think, comparatively infrequent. 



The bills in this species vary very materially in length even 

 in the same sdx ; among-st the males^ for instance^ f l^ey vary from 

 8-2 to 9-7. 



A male that I measured in the fleshy by no means a particu- 

 larly large bird^ gave the following dimensions, length, S3*25 ; 

 expanse, 58 ; tail from vent, 5 ; vising, 15-3 ; wings, when closed^ 

 reached to within 0*8 of end of tail ; bill at front, only 8"4 ; 

 tarsus, 6 "2 ; the irides were reddish yellow. 



941.— Threskiornis melanocephalus, L. 

 942.— Geronticus papillosus, Tem. 



Both species abundant, in suitable localities, throughout 

 Sindh. 



943.— Falcinellus igneus, Gm. 



The glossy ibis occurred in huge flocks in and about many 

 of the large inland lakes of Upper Sindh ; but I never met 

 with it in Lower Sindh. We got it in every stage from the 

 quite young bird, with a bill of about 3-75, and without 

 a, vestige of ruddy tint below or of purple reflections above, to the 

 old bird in full breeding plumage, with a bill over 5-5 in length. 

 It was excessively tame and sat on the trees and bushes over- 

 hanging the water or fed fearlessly in amongst the rush and 

 reeds till the boats were within 2U yards of it. It is impossible 

 to explain these things, but the fishermen who eat and relish 

 every description of paddy-bird consider the glossy ibis very in- 

 different eating, whereas some Europeans at any rate who will 

 not look at a paddy-bird consider the ibis a dish worthy of an 

 epicure. In the Jumna and Ganges, many races of fishermen 

 will not touch fish so long as crocodile is to be got ; and an old 

 friend of mine who was persuaded to try it, said that crocodile 

 bore the same relation to fish that pork does to mutton, 

 and was highly commendable as an article of diet ; but really 

 de gitstibus, &c. - 



944.— Phoenicopterus rOSeUS, Pall.— P. anti- 

 quorum, Tem. 



How shall I describe the countless myriads of flamingoes 

 that are seen either massed upon the water, huge rosy islands, or 

 floating above it like a sun-set cloud in all the larger lakes of 

 Sindh ? Elsewhere I have seen flamingoes in flocks of several 

 hundreds^ here they were in tens of thousands. It is a wonder- 



