WOOD IBIS. 135 



46^ ; wing from flexure 18 ; tail 6 ; extent of wings 62 ; bill along the 

 back 9i, along the edge 9, its greatest depth ^ ; bare part of tibia 6 ; 

 tarsus 9 ; middle toe 4/^, its claw |. Weight llf lb. 



The Female is precisely similar to the Male, differing merely in be- 

 ing smaller. Its weight is 9i lb. 



The Young are dusky grey all over, the quills and tail brownish- 

 black. The head all covered with down, excepting just at the base of 

 the bill. After the first moult, the bare space extends over the head and 

 cheeks ; the downy feathers of the hind head and neck are dusky ; the 

 general colour of the plumage is white, the quills and tail nearly as in 

 the adult, but with less gloss. A Male of this description shot in Ja- 

 ;^uary was in length 35 inches, its bill 7^, tarsus 7, middle toe 4, its 

 claw i ; its weight 7| lb. 



When the Wood Ibis has caught a fish too large to be easily swallow- 

 ed, it shakes its head in a violent manner, as if to force its prey down or 

 drive it up again. In the latter case, it carries the fish to the shore, and 

 breaks it into pieces, which it then swallows. 



This species has the subcutaneous cellular tissue highly developed, 

 especially along the breast, and the lower parts of the body, although not 

 by any means so much so as in the Brown Pelican. I have represented 

 a flock of these birds in the back ground, with the view of giving you an 

 idea of the swamps to which they usually resort. They are on the edge 

 of an alligator's hole, at their avocations. The trees, clad with dangling 

 mosses, afibrd evidence of the insalubrity of the atmosphere. You see 

 the alUgators with their heads and backs above water, watching the mo- 

 tions of the birds. 



