WOOD IBIS. 133 



nets.'"' When in the latter country, at St Augustine, I was induced to 

 make an excursion, to visit a large pond or lake, where I was assured 

 there were Gannets in abundance, which I might shoot ofF the trees, 

 provided I was careful enough. On asking the appearance of the Gannets, 

 I was told that they were large white birds, with wings black at the end, 

 a long neck, and a large sharp bill. The description so far agreeing with 

 that of the Common Gannet or Solan Goose, I proposed no questions re- 

 specting the legs or tail, but went off'. Twenty-three miles, Reader, I 

 trudged through the woods, and at last came in view of the pond ; when, 

 lo ! its borders and the trees around it were covered with Wood Ibises. 

 Now, as the good people who gave the information spoke according to their 

 knowledge, and agreeably to their custom of calling the Ibises Gannets, 

 had I not gone to the pond, I might have written this day that Gannets 

 are found in the interior of the woods in the Floridas, that they alight on 

 trees, &c. which, if once published, would in all probability have gone 

 down to future times through the medium of compilers, and all perhaps 

 without acknowledgment. 



The Wood Ibis takes four years in attaining full maturity, although 

 birds of the second year are now and then found breeding. This is rare, 

 however, for the young birds live in flocks by themselves, until they have 

 attained the age of about three years. They are at first of a dingy brown, 

 each feather edged with paler ; the head is covered to the mandibles with 

 short downy feathers, which gradually fall oft' as the bird advances in age. 

 In the third year, the head is quite bare, as well as a portion of the upper 

 part of the neck. In the fourth year, the bird is as you see it in the plate. 

 The male is much larger and heavier than the female, but there is no 

 difference in colour between the sexes. 



Tantalus loculator, Linn. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 240 — Lath. Ind. Ornith. vol. ii_ 



p. 702 Ch. Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 310. 



Wood Ibis, Taxtalus loculator, Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. viii. p. 39. pi. 68. 

 fig. 1. Adult Nuttall, Manual, vol. ii. p. 82. 



Adult Male. Plate CCXVI. 



Bill long, stout, at the base as wide as the face, deeper than broad, 

 compressed, tapering towards the end, which is curved. Upper man- 

 dible with the dorsal line straight to near the end, then considerably 

 curved, the ridge rather broad and flattened at the base, narrowed at the 



