Song Birds and Water Fowl 



gration, must commonly make long and toil- 

 some explorations in order to find them. In 

 this group, however, are included some of the 

 handsomest, both in form and color, of all 

 water fowl. 



The ibis is chiefly found in the Southern 

 States, the two principal species being the 

 glossy and the white ibis, each about two feet 

 long. The former is of a rich purplish chest- 

 nut color, and its evolutions on the wing, like 

 those of the white ibis, are particularly beauti- 

 ful. Both species congregate in vast numbers 

 in their favorite haunts, the glossy ibis nesting 

 on the ground, and the white one in trees. 

 Audubon counted forty-seven nests of the latter 

 species in a single tree, and his entire account 

 of its habits is very entertaining. It goes in 

 flocks to the ocean for food, like the night her- 

 on, timing its journey, which is sometimes 

 more than forty miles, by the tides. Its motion 

 through the air is by alternate flappings and 

 sailings, and they evince a sense of rhythm in 

 the fact that the whole flock imitates the leader 

 in the alternation of these motions. 



The ingenuity of many animals rivals the 

 power of human reason, and the white ibis 

 well illustrates this fact. One of its favorite 



So 



