48 SACKED IBIS. 



14° and 15^ of north latitude. As a bird of passage 

 it comes often with Ciconia ahdiinii at the rising of the 

 Nile, or beginning of the rainy season, in the middle 

 or end of July, to the town of Chartum, and remains 

 there especially on the shores of the White Nile to 

 breed. It sometimes chooses a Mimosa standing in the 

 water as a secure breeding spot. After three or four 

 months it disappears, and goes with its family up the 

 river. On the w^^ole it is not rare near Chartum, but 

 it is found in much larger numbers a few days' journey 

 more south. I have seen it in winter on the Blue Nile 

 within 3° of the equator." 



The Sacred Ibis is not included in Captain Loche's 

 Catalogue of Algerian birds. According to Temminck 

 it is found at Senegal and the Cape of Good Hope; 

 but Swainson does not include it in his "Birds of Western 

 Africa." 



Dr. Hueglin met with it in pairs in August and 

 September, on the island of Dahalak, and on the coast 

 of Abyssinia, (Ibis, vol. i., p. 347.) Dr. Leith Adams 

 writes me word, " Is Ibis religiosa distinct from Ibis 

 bengalis of Cuvier? The latter is generally distributed 

 over Hindostan, where it is known as the White Curlew. 

 There is a little difference in the measurement of the 

 European and Oriental specimens; otherwise there does 

 not appear to be any distinction." 



The Sacred Ibis is included by Wagler in the genus 

 Geronticus, which comprises the genera Cercibis, The- 

 risticus, Phimosus, Harpiprion of Wagler, ThresJdornis 

 of Gray, and BostrycJiia of Reichenbach, and in all 

 nineteen species spread over the continents of Africa, 

 Asia, and America. 



The subject of the present notice is the only one 

 which occurs, and that accidentally, in Europe. 



