GilALLiE. 



243 



Fig, iro.— Slernum of Glossy Ibis 



the l.ittcr, is miicli more feclilc, and devoid of emargination at tlic tip ; besides which the nostrils, 

 pierced towards the back and base, are prolonged in a groove which reaches to the end. This beak is 

 also tolerably thick, and nearly square at the base, and some parts of the head or even of the neck are 

 always bare of feathers. The external toes are consideraldy palmated at base, and the thundj suffi- 

 ciently long to bear upon the ground. [The gradation is, in fact, quite imperceptible from these to the 



Tantals, and the anatomy and character of 

 the plumage concur to show that both natu- 

 rally pertain to the preceding division of Cul- 

 trirostres : we believe the Ibises also build in 

 society upon trees ; and there is certainly no 

 trace of a passage from them into the Scolo- 

 jiaceous birds.] Some of them have short 

 ill ^ and reticulated legs; and these are also more 

 ir^ robust, and have a thicker bilL 



The Sacred Ibis (7. reVigiosa, Nobis ; Ahou 

 Ifan}ies, Bruce ; Tantalus yEthiopicus, Latham), is 

 the must celebrated species. It was reared in the 

 temples of ancient E^ypt, with a degree of respect 

 borflering on adoration ; and was embalmed after 

 its death. Tliis arose, according- to some, from its 

 devouring serpents, which would otherwise have 

 ranltiphcd to a noxious extent in the country ; while others are of opinion that it took its ori2:in from some rela- 

 tion between its plumage and one of the phases of the moon ; a third class ascribing it to the fact that its appear- 

 ance announced the overflow of the Nile. For a lon^ while, the African Tantal was believed to be the Ibis of the 

 Eg-iqitiaiis, which is now ascertained to be a species of the division we are now treating^ of, the size of a Fowl, 

 with white plumat^e, excepting the tips of the quiU-featbers, which are black ; the greater coverts [tertiaries] 

 having- eIon2:ate(h slender, and loose barbs, of a black colour with violet reflections, and covering- the extremities 

 of the wing and tail. The beak and feet, together with the naked part of the head and neck, are black ; and the 

 latter clothed, in the young, at least the uppLT surface, with short black feathers.* It is found throughout 

 Africa. 



Other Ibises have scutelhitcd tarsi, and generally a more slender bill. 



The Scarlet Ibis {.Vco^ rubra, Lin.; Tanialxs ruber, Gm.). — Remarkable for its bright-red colour all over, 

 except the black tips of its wings. The young are at first covered with blackish down, becoming then ash- 

 coloured, and whitish when they begin to fly : in two years the red makes its appearance, the briUiancy of which 

 increases with age. It is found in the hot parts of America, and lives in marshy districts in the vicinity of 

 estuaries ; does not migrate, and is easily rendered domestic. 



The G^lossy Ibis {Sc. falcineUus, Lin.). — Body empurpled rufous -brown, with a deep green mantle; the voung 

 with the head and neck speckled with whitish. A resplendent species of the south of Europe and north of Africa, 

 and probably that designated Black Ibis by the ancients. [It occurs rarely in the British Isles.] 



The Curlews {Numenius, Cuv.) — 

 Have an arcuated bill like that of an Ibis, but more slender, and round througiiout ; the tip of the 

 upper mandible passing beyond that of the lower, and bulging a little downwards in front of it. 

 The toes are palmated at base. 



Tlie Whaup Curlew {f^c. arcnaia, Lin.).— Size of a Capon, and brovn, with the margins of all the feathers 

 whitish ; the croup white, and tail barred white and brown. It is tolerably good eating, and comnien along our 

 coasts, and as a bird of passage in the interior, [breeding in the upland moors of Biitain : its plaiiiti\'e whittle is 

 well knouTi along the sea-side, and has given rise to its name.] 



The Whimbrel Curlew {Sc. plueopus, Lin.). — One half smaller, with nearly similar plumage. [Is not quite so 

 common in Britain as the last, and breeds sparingly on our most northern hills. There are several others]. 



The Snipes, properly so called, {Scolopa.r, Cuv.), — 

 Have a straight bill, with the nasal grooves extending nearly to the tip, which expands a little exter- 

 nally to reach beyond the lower mandible, on the middle of wdiich there is a simple furrow. The tip of 

 the l)ill is soft and veiy sensitive, and drying after death presents a punctured surface. The feet are 

 devoid of any palmature. A peculiar character of these birds consists in the compressed form of the 

 head, and the backward site [at least in the larger species, with shorter tarsi], of their large eyes, 

 which imparts a singularly stupid air, in conformity with their habits. 



• We liclieve tlint all birds which have any naked parts In the adult slate, have invariably llie same featliercd when voun^-.— Ed. 



