IBIDID.E 



;mI': ibises — plegadis. 



93 



Gen. Char. l>ill shallow tlinnigh tin,' bu.se, inmlorately tapering, and gently curved ; the base 

 not tur"id, and the basal outline of the maxilla deeply concave; bare portion of tibia equal to or 

 l(in"er than outer toe ; middle tue about three fourths the tarsus ; inner toe reaching past the sub- 

 tc^rminal articulation of tlie middle toe ; hallux aljout I'ljual to the liasal phalanx of the inner toe. 

 Forehead and orbital, malar, and giilar regions completely feathered, the lores only being naked, 

 the feathering on the chin forming an acute angle which advances to as far as the middle of the 



P. falcifwlhis. 



nostrils ; feathers of the pileum elongated, lanceolate, and distinct, forming, when erected, a sort 

 of full, rounded crest ; those of the occiput and nai)e, and upper half of the neck all round, also 

 distinct and lanceolate. Plumage chiefly metallic green above ; the adults with head and upper 

 part of neck chestnut, and lower parts chestnut (falcinellus and guaraunci) or violet-blackish (Ridg- 

 waiji) ; the young with head and upper part of neck streaked grayish brown and white, the lower 

 parts grayish brown (fuldndltis and gmirawui) or ^^olet-dusky (Hidgtmyi). 



This genus differs conspicuously from Endocinuis in the comjilete feathering of the head^ 

 (excepting only the lores and the space between the mandibular rami) and in the brilliantly 

 metallic plumage. P. falcinellit.t and P. guarauna are exactly alike in the details of form and 

 general coloration ; but P. Ridgtoaiji is very different from them in both these respects. Their 

 comparative characters may be thus expressed in a synoptical table : — 



A. Legs and feet long and slender, the tarsus with a nearly continuous frontal series of trans- 

 verse scutelliE. Adidt. with the neck, back, lesser wing-coverts, and lower parts opaque 

 chestnut. Yotmg, with the head and upper part of the neck streaked grayish brown and 

 white, the lower parts plain grayish browni. 



1. P. falcinellus. Feathers around base of bill, blackish ; lores greenish in life. ^Ving, 



10.20-11.85 ; culmen, 4.30-5.45 ; tarsus, 2.90-4.30; middle toe, 2.10-2.80. Hab. Palae- 

 arctic region (warmer portions). Eastern United States and West Indies. 



2. P. guarauna. Feathers around base of bill whitish ; lores lake-red in life. Wing, 9.30- 



10.80 ; culmen, 3.7.5-6.00 ; tar.'ius, 3.00-4.40 ; middle toe. 2.10-2.85. Hah. South and 

 Middle America, and Western North America as far north as the Columbia River. 



' In this feature there is considerable resemblance to Harpiprion, which, however, is very different 

 in other respects, and belongs to a different ".sub-family" {Ibidince). 



