IBIDID.K — TUK IBISES — EUDOCIMUS. 87 



eJge convex. Anterior halt' of the head bare (in the adult) including the forehead, lores, orbital 

 and malar regions, chin, and more or less of the throat ; in the young, this bare skin more 

 restricted. Feathers of the head and neck dense but i-ather soft, witli rather distinct outlines, 

 Init with siiniuwhat truncated tips. Primaries extending a little Leyond the tertials, the second 

 and third ciuills longest and nearly ei^ual, first a little shorter than the fourth ; iinier webs of 

 outer four slightly sinuated toward their ends. 



Synopsis of Species. 



1. E. ruber. Adult: Ends of several outer primaries glossy blue-black; rest of plumage 



entirely uniform rich pure scarlet, the shafts of the primaries white, as far as the black 

 tips. Bill dusky or reddish ; bare skin of head pinkish, or lake-red ; legs and feet red. 

 Young: Dark brownish gray, the belly white. Wing, 10.80-11.00; tail, 4.10-4.S0 ; 

 culmen, G.00-6.50 ; depth of bill, .VO ; tarsus, 3.70-3.80 ; middle toe, 2.5r)-2.60. Hah. 

 Ti'opical .Vnierica, on the Atlantic side ; accidental (!) in Louisiana and Te.xas. 



2. E. albus. Ends of several outer primaries glossy greenish black ; rest of plumage entirely 



pure white. Bill, naked portion of head, legs, and feet, reddish (pale yellowish in dried 

 skins) ; iris pale blue. Young : Uniform gi'ayish brown, the rump, base of tail, and 

 under parts white ; head and neck streaked with white and grayish, the former feath- 

 ered nearly to the bill. Wing, 10.30-11.75 ; tail, 4.00-5.00 ; culmen, 4.15-6.30 ; depth 

 of bill, .60-72; tarsus, 3.10-4.00; middle toe, 2,15-2.70. Hab. : .Southern States, 

 north, casually, to Coiniecticut, Eastern Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Utah ; south to 

 Brazil and throughout West Indies. 



Eudocimus ruber. 



THE SCARLET IBIS. 



Tantalus ruber, LlNX. S. N. I. ITfifi, 241, no. 5. —Wilson. Am. Orn. VIII. 1814, 41, pi. Ixvi. 



Eudocimus ruber, ^V AGL., Isis, 1832, 1232. — Panow. Norn. K. Am. B. 1SS2, no. 502. — CouES, 

 Check-List, 2d ed. 1882, no. 652. 



Scolopax rubra, ScopoLT, Bemerk. ed. Giinth. 1770, 106, no. 130. 



Ibis rubra, ViEiLt. Nouv. Diet. XVI. 1817, 22. — Nutt. Man. II. 1834, 84. — AuD. Orn. Biog. V. 

 1839, 62 ; Synop. 1839, 257 ; Bh-ds Am. A'l. 1843, 53, pi. 359 (adult and young). — t'Assix, in 

 Baird's Birds X. Am. 185S, 683. — BAiiin, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, no. 498. — Couks, Key, 1872, 

 264; Check Li.st, 1873, no. 447. — ScL. & Salv. Nom. Neotr. 1873, 126. — BoucAUD, Catal. 

 Av. 1876, 48, no. 1337. 



Hah. — Chiefly the nortliern sliores of Snutli America, Imt also occurs sparingly among the 

 West Indian Islands and on the Gulf Coast of Middle America; accidental (!) in Louisiana and 

 Southern Texas. 



Sp. Char. — Adult : Ends of the four outer primaries glossy Idue-black, witli a steel-blue 

 reflection ; rest of the jdumage entirely uniform rich pure scarlet, the shafts of the primaries, 

 as far as the black tips, pure white. Bill grayish-black ; i bare skin of the head pale lake-red 

 or pinkish; legs and feet red. Young: Brownish .gray, much darker than in E. nib us ; abdomen 

 white. 



Length, about 28.00-30 00 ; expanse, 40.00-45.00 ; wing, 10.80-11.00; tail, 4.10-4.80 ; culmen, 

 6.00-6.50; depth of bill, .70 ; tarsus, 3.7iV3.SO ; middle toe, 2.55-2.60 ; bare portion of tibia. 

 2.00-2,40. 



The scarlet color of this splendid bird is probably not exceeded in purity an<1 intensity. It is, 

 in fact, the very perfection of that color. It far surpasses the red of any Passerine liird known to 

 us, even the plumage of the Scarlet Tanager (Pyranga rubra) appearing dull and harsh beside it. 



The black tips of the jnimaries do not always end aliruptly, but in some specimens this color 



' Audubon describes the bill as " p.ile lake." This, liowever, is not the case with any specimens 

 which we have examined. He abso says that the (juills are white — an evident mistake, the shafts of the 

 quills having no doubt been meant. 



