516 TANTALUS LOCULATOE, WOOD IBIS. 



on rising to the surface, are instantly struck by the beak of the Ibises, 

 and on being deprived of life they turn over and so remain. In the 

 course of ten or fifteen minutes, hundreds of fishes, frogs, young alli- 

 gators, and water-snakes, cover the surface, and the birds greedily swal- 

 low them until they are completely gorged, after which they walk to the 

 nearest margins, place themselves in long rows, with their breasts all 

 turned toward the sun, in the manner of Pelicans and Vultures, and 

 thus remain for an hour or so." 



The great abundance of the Wood Ibis on the Colorado, especially 

 the lower portions of the river, as at Fort Tuma, has not been generally 

 recognized until of late years. It is probably as numerous there as any- 

 where in the United States, though I have never seen flocks " composed 

 of several thousands," such as Audubon speaks of. Oftenest the num- 

 bers together would fall short of an hundred, and single birds were very 

 frequently seen flapping overhead or wading in the shallow pools. But 

 they are like all of their great tribe, gregarious birds, spending most of 

 their time in each other's society. I doubt that any are found on the 

 Colorado higher than Fort Mojave. They probably occur along the 

 greater part of the Gila, but how far up I am unable to say. I have 

 not noticed them in Arizona except on these two rivers. Wherever 

 found in the Territory they are permanent residents, as elsewhere in 

 most parts of the United States. In the Eastern province they reach 

 to the Carolinas. They are said to ascend the Mississippi to Ohio; but 

 the swampy tracts and bayous of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and 

 Florida, are, with the lagoons of the lower Colorado, their favorite 

 homes. I do not know of them in California, except as along the river 

 just named. 



The carriage of the Wood Ibis is firm and sedate, almost stately; 

 each leg is slowly lifted and lalanted with deliberate precision, before 

 the other is moved, when the birds walk unsuspicious of danger. I 

 never saw one run rapidly, since on all the occasions when I have been 

 the cause of alarm, the bird took wing directly. It springs powerfully 

 from the ground, bending low to gather strength, and for a little distance 

 flaps hurriedly with dangling legs, as if it was much exertion to lift so 

 heavy a body. But fairly on wing, clear of all obstacles, the flight is 

 firm, strong, and direct, performed with continuous moderately rapid 

 beats of the wing, except when the birds are sailing in circles as above 

 noted. When proceeding in a straight line the feet are stretched hori- 

 zontally backward, but the head is not drawn closely in upon the 

 breast, as is the case with Herons, so that the bird presents what may 

 be called a top-heavy appearance, increased by the thick large bill. 



The eggs of the Wood Ibis are like Heron's, in being nearly ellipsoi- 

 dal, but differ from these, as well as from those of the Bay Ibis, in color, 

 which is uniform dull white, without markings. The shell is rather 

 rough to the touch, with a coating of softish, flaky, calcareous sub- 

 stance. A specimen that I measured was exactly 2f inches in length 

 by If in breadth. Two or three are said to be a nest-complement. Ac- 

 cording to Audubon the young are entirely dusky -gray, with brownish- 

 black wings aud bill. The head is at first covered, but becomes par- 

 tially bare after the first moult. Four years are said to be required for 

 the bird to iittain its full plumage, though it may breed at two or three 

 years of age, and is largely white or whitish after the first moult. The 

 head and upper part of the neck of the adult are wholly bare, and of a 

 livid bluish color, tinged with yellowish on the forehead. The bill is 

 yellowish ; the legs blue, becoming blackish on the toes, aud tinged with 

 yellow on the webs. The female is considerably smaller than the male. 



