73 
covered with nests as those outside, and the birds, which appeared 
docile and tame, did not mind the noise of the people passing beneath 
them. At the time that I visited the village, the young birds were 
all well-fledged, and most of them able to fly. The village people 
informed me that the old birds move off to the river in the very 
early dawn, and having caught a sufficient supply for their young, 
return about eight or nine o’clock. A second expedition is made 
during the afternoon. Some idea of the quantity of fish caught by 
these birds may be gathered from what the people told me, that 
quantities of fine fish were dropped by the old birds when feeding 
their young, and were eaten by them. A young bird of this spe- 
cies which I shot in Scinde, disgorged a large quantity of small 
eels. This Ibis breeds during the month of February. The nest 
is composed of small sticks, and is placed at the top of the trees. 
If there are many on the same tree, they are placed pretty close 
together. They lay three or four eggs, of a dull opake white, 
nearly 255 in. in length, by rather more than 1,8, in. in width. 
The young birds are able to fly by the month of May. I kept a 
young bird which had dropped from the nest and broken its wing in 
my garden for three or four months. It was most gentle and quiet, 
occasionally only snapping its strong beak at any person it did not 
like. In a short time it recognized the person who fed it, and when- 
ever he made his appearance it would walk towards him, uttering a 
piteous cry, flapping its long wings and bowing its head towards 
him. It was a most ludicrous sight, which many came to see. It 
was fed on fresh fish, and would not touch any that were at all 
tainted. Another young bird which I also kept, would devour the 
bodies of birds brought in for stuffing, and did not appear at all par- 
ticular as to the quality of its food. The stomach of an old bird 
contained a grassy substance, the remains of fish, and what appeared 
to be the claw of a small crab. I give a description of a young bird 
taken on 20th April. The beak dark lead-brown, darkest at the 
base, which is very thick; the skin on the face and forehead the 
same blackish lead-colour ; the feathers on the head brownish-grey ; 
the feathers on the neck of an ashy-brown, mixed with down. 
Shoulders ashy, with light brown edges ; scapulars much the same, 
with much lighter ash edges ; the centres of the feathers darkest in 
colour ; lesser wing-coverts brownish-black, with an ashy tinge and 
light ashy edges; larger coverts dark greyish-black; outer webs 
tipped with whitish ash-colour, and inner webs tinged with the same 
colour on the edges. Tertials much the same colour as the greater 
coyerts, but tinged with rose-colour. Primaries and secondaries 
black, with green reflections; back beautiful pale rose-colour ; upper 
tail-coverts dusky grey ; tail-feathers twelve, black, with bright green 
reflections. The breast, belly and sides covered with beautiful white 
down, interspersed on the breast with some dark ash-grey feathers, 
and on the sides with white, tinged with delicate rose-colour; the 
whole of the back is also covered with beautiful down. This bird 
was evidently a nestling, the first feathers having scarcely grown 
enough to cover the body. 
No. CCLXXXIX.—Procrerpincs OF THE ZOOLOGICAL Society. 
