160 ON THE IBIS. 



viduals larger than others, but proves nothing in favour of the tantalus, 

 for it has not the same shaped beak as that; it precisely resembles the 

 curlew; and, besides, the beak of the tantalus is a third larger than that 

 of our large embalmed ibises, and two-fifths that of the smallest. 



We are moreover assured that there are similar variations in the size 

 of our European curlews, according to age and sex; they are still 

 larger in the green curlews of Italy, and in our pewits (barges) ,• and 

 it appears that this is a property common to the greater part of the 

 species of long-billed (becasses) birds. 



Finally, our naturalists returned from the expedition to Egypt with 

 a rich harvest of objects, ancient as well as modern. My learned friend 

 M. Geoffroy St. Hilaire particularly occupied himself in collecting, with 

 great care, mummies of every sort, and had brought a great number of 

 those of the ibis, as well from Saccara as from Thebes. 



The former were in the same state as those brought by M. Grobert ; 

 that is to say, that their bones had experienced a kind of half combus- 

 tion, and were without consistency; they broke on the least touch, and 

 it was very difficult to procure one entire, still more to detach them so 

 as to form a skeleton, 



The bones of those of Thebes were much better preserved, either 

 from the greater heat of the climate, or from the greater care be- 

 stowed in their preparation: and M. Geoffroy having sacrificed se- 

 veral of them, my assistant, M. Rousseau, contrived, by the exercise 

 of patience, skill, and ingenious and delicate methods, to form an 

 entire skeleton, by stripping all the bones, and uniting them with 

 a fine wire thread. This skeleton has been placed in the museum, 

 of which it forms one of the most striking ornaments. We subjoin an 

 engraving of it. See Plate 4. 



We remark that this mummy must have been that of one kept in a 

 state of domesticity in the temples ; for the left shoulder has been 

 broken and then united. It is probable that a wild bird, whose wing 

 was broken, would die before it healed, for want of strength to pursue 

 its prey, or power to escape from its enemies. 



This skeleton enables us to determine unhesitatingly the character 

 and proportions of the bird ; we clearly see that it was in every re- 

 spect a real curlew, rather larger than that of Europe, but with its 

 beak thicker and shorter. We subjoin a comparative table of the di- 

 mensions of these two birds, taken, for the Ibis, from the skeleton of 

 the mummy of Thebes, and for the Curlew, from a skeleton which was 

 formerly in our anatomical galleries. We have added those of the 

 parts of the ibises of Saccara w T Hch we have been enabled to obtain 

 entire. 



