THE



275



Hv (cultural iHbagasme,


BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE


AVICULTURA L SOCIETY.



Nezu Series —VOL. IV. — No. 9 .—All rights reserved JULY, 1906 .


SOME NOTES ON THE SACRED IBIS.


Ibis cethiopica.


By Michael J. Nicoll, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.


During the past voyage of the Earl of Crawford’s yacht

“Valhalla” we spent several days at Cape Town, and while there

were able to pay a visit to Dassen Island which is distant about

45 miles from Cape Town.


' Dassen Island is the home of a vast number of birds, and

is a Government preserve chiefly used for guano collecting. At

the time of our visit the Penguins ( Sfiheniscus demursus) were

hardly beginning to lay, but the Cormorants ( Phalacrocorax ca-

pensis and P. 7 ieglectus, had well-grown young in an enormous

colony, and close to this Cormorant Rookery a number of Sacred

Ibises had young in their nests. The nests of this species were

placed so close together that they resembled a single large flat

heap of rubbish with a number of depressions on it containing

young Ibises. We were told that the Ibises were always killed

whenever possible or their nests destroyed, as they do a great

amount of harm to the young Cormorants, killing them and

devouring their entrails. This sounds almost incredible, but it

is apparently quite true, as all the young Ibises when first

handled disgorged a mass of entrails. In this colony of Ibises

were several well-grown young, and two of these were obtained

and brought safely to England, when Lord Crawford presented

them to the Zoological Society. During the voyage these birds

were fed almost entirely on raw meat cut into small squares, and

on this, grit, and plenty of fresh water they did exceedingly well.


During the day they were allowed free run of the deck,

where they took frequent baths in fresh water.



