496 BIED8 TANTAIilDJE. 



Dr. Hoy had recorded it from the vicinity of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I 

 have been unable to verify Dr. Cones' statement as to its occurrence in 

 Ohio at or before the date of his writing, and consequently omitted it 

 from my List of 1875, though the probability of its occurrence began to 

 approach a certainty. In 1878, Mr. Langdon added this bird to his List 

 of Birds of the vicinity of Cincinnati on the authority of Dr. Haymond, 

 who says (Indiana Geolog. Surv., 1869) : 



"These large and enrious birds oocasionaJly visit the Whitewater Valley in the 

 month of Amgnst. Some years ago, I kept one (which had • broken wing) about six 

 weeks. In that time it became very tame, learned its name and wonld come when 

 called. 



Wo fed it upon living fish, which it would swallow with amamng lapidity, except 

 catfish, which required labor and time to dispose of. Ic died from haring eaten a 

 Mackerel which had been placed in a b««in to soak.'' 



This is satisfactory in showing that this species occurs very near to 

 our borders. Mr. Langdon, further writeg me under date of February 23, 

 1879: 



"If I am not very much mistaken, I have at last cleared up the much-agitated 

 " Wood Ifcis question,'' and 1 herewith proceed to give you the results of my investiga- 

 tions and also to answer your letter of the 17ih, inst. 



In looking orer the Indiana Index to Coues' Bibliography, I found two references to 

 Haymond, as you wiU see, and, as I had never before heard of but one (1869), I at once 

 proceeded to look up the other, which was as follows : ' Birds of South-eastern Indiana, 

 by Kufas Haymond, M.D., Proo. Phil, Acad., viii, November, 1856.' About 135 specimens 

 are given and among them the Wood Ibis, from his ascount of which I make the follow- 

 ing extract verbatim, which yon will observe diiferB somewhat, though not essentially, 

 from his account of the same specimen iu the ludiana Agricultural Report, 1869. The 

 main difference is, that in his IH56 List, he mentions opeeifically and definitely the visit 

 of a flock of the birds to South-eastern Indiarua. 



You will remember that the WTiitewater River, where the birds w«r9 found, is 

 not far from the Ohio line (perhaps 13 or 15 miles), also that the Whitewater after flow- 

 ing less than 80 miles from Brookville, Indiana, enters Ohio, and after traversing its 

 South-westom corner for several miles it joins the Great Miami within th« State of 

 ®hio. Now Haymond's account speaks of them as remaining almg the river (White- 

 water) and canal for some weeks and although he does not say Ohio once, yet there is 

 abundant room for the inference that the birds reached Ohio in following the White- 

 water. Here is the copy of Haymond's record : 



" The first day of August, 1855, a large flock of these birds made their appearance in 

 this neighborhood. They remained along the river and Whitewater canal for about a 

 month or six weeks. A son of one my neighbors broke th« wing of one them and caught 

 it. After keeping it three or four weeks, feeding it upon fish, he gave it to me. I kept 

 it until near the first of November when it fell a victim, as many another biped has 

 dona, to its appetite.'' 



Here follows the account of its eating a mackerel, and dying in con- 

 vulsions the next day ; also, the statement that it learned its name, 

 Tantalus, and would come wh«n called if it was hungry, etc. 



