271 ON THE IBIS. 



any other curlew, leave in fact, no doubt, of the accuracy of my opinion. 



I conclude this memoir by a recapitulation of its results. 



1st. The tantalus ibis of Linnceus should form a genus distinct from 

 the tantalus loculator. Their character will be rostrum Iceve, vali- 

 dum, arcuatum, apice utrinque emarginatum. 



2nd. The other tantili of the latter editions should form a genus 

 with the common curlews, and may be called the numenius. Their 

 character will be rostrum teres, gracile, arcuatum, apice mutico, for 

 the special character of the subgenus of the ibises we must add, sulco 

 literati per totum longitudinem exarato. 



3rd. The white ibis of the ancients is not the ibis of Peraultand Buffon, 

 which is a tantalus ; nor the ibis of Hasselquist, which is an ardea ; 

 nor the ibis of Maillet, which is a vulture ; but a bird of the genus 

 numenius, or curlew, of the subgenus ibis, which has only hitherto 

 been described by Bruce, under the name of abouhannes. I name it 

 numenius ibis, albus , capite et collo adulti nudis, remigium apicibus, 

 rostro et pedibus nigris, remigibus secundariis elongatus nigro 

 violaceis. 



4th. The black ibis of the ancients is probably the bird known in 

 Europe under the name of green curlew, or the scolopax falcinellus 

 of Linnaeus ; it also belongs to the genus of curlews, and to the sub- 

 genus of ibises. 



5th. The tantalus ibis of Linnaeus, in the real state of synonomy, 

 includes four species of these different genera, viz. 



1 . A tantalus, the ibis of Perault and Buffon . 



2. An ardea, the ibis of Hasselquist. 



3 and 4. Two numenii, the ibis of Belon, and the ox-bird of Shaw. 



We may judge by this example, and by many others, of the state in 

 which this worst Systema Natures still remains, which it would be so 

 important to cleanse gradually of the errors which throng it, and with 

 which it appears continually to be loaded, by adding characters and 

 synonyms and species, without just selection or competent judgment. 



The general conclusion of my labour is, that the ibis still exists in 

 Egypt as it did in the time of the Pharaohs, and that it is to the error 

 of naturalists we are indebted for the belief so long prevalent, that the 

 real species was lost or altered in its form. 



