Home Life of the Glossy Ieis. 117 



adult pair and four young at the nest. I had plenty of 

 opportunities of catching one at the nest with the young, as 

 is shown in some of the other cuts, and on several occasions 

 both adults were together above the nest in the top of the 

 bushes, but were out of camera range on account of tree tops. 

 1 waited, though, as I felt that I would finally get it if I could 

 stick it out, and the cut is evidence that anything' will come 

 to the fellow that will wait, if he will only wait long enough. 

 This picture is one I prize very highly, of course, not only as 

 a monument to my patience, but as showing the whole family 

 of a bird that is practically unknown in life to any of our or- 

 nithologists, and one that has never been photographed be- 

 fore. I shall always remember the morning that I took it. 

 I had shot off eleven of my plates and saved the twelfth, the 

 last, for this picture, as I had been doing daily for twenty-one 

 days. The female had been longer than usual in returning 

 to feed and the young had become very restless and impatient 

 when she at last arrived. She had just given them one round 

 apiece, when with a gutteral grunt and usual call the male lit 

 down into the nest beside the female. She immediately 

 stopped feeding the young, and putting her bill up to his 

 rubbed them together and made the cooing noise that I never 

 heard except at such times. Waiting to get them broadside 

 on so as to show up well I shot he shutter and the deed was 

 done and at that moment I would not have traded that plate, 

 as yet undeveloped, for a pass to Paradise. How I wish I 

 were an artist so that I could paint that scene at the nest that 

 morning — the dark green background, spotted thickly with 

 elder blooms and the beautiful pair of Glossy Ibis with the 

 bright sun scintillating on their beautiful irridescent plumage 

 — it is a picture worthy the admiration of the gods. Well, 

 I have seen what possibly no other ornithologist has seen, and 

 am content. 



