84 The Official Guide to the 
Roseate Spoonbill (P. ayaa), is a native of Mexico 
and Tropical America. ‘The fifth and last family of 
this order is that of Isipip#, composed of some 
twenty-four species of handsome birds known as 
Ibises; these are found in Europe, Africa, and 
America. ‘The Glossy Ibis inhabits both the 
Old and New World, occasionally visiting England 
and this county. Perhaps the best known species 
is the lovely Scarlet Ibis, a native of South 
America; but the most interesting is the Sacred Ibis 
(/é7s ethiopica), the bird held in such veneration by 
the ancient Egyptians, which country it visits in 
summer at the period of the inundation of the Nile, 
apparently making no long stay there, but still 
abundant in some parts of Africa. Several other 
species of Ibis will be noticed, one an Australian bird 
known as the Straw-necked Ibis, from the singular 
quill-like feathers on the front of the neck; another 
Australian form has a white body and black head like 
the Sacred Ibis; and yet another, known as the 
Wharty-headed Ibis, is a native of India. In 
Case XIll. 
will be found the first portion of the birds of the 
Tenth Order, ALECTORIDES. commencing with the 
Cranes (Gruari#), the first of ‘these 1s the noble 
Balearic Crane (Balearica pavonia), a handsome 
crowned Crane from West Africa, near which is the 
North African Demoiselle Crane (Grus virgo). 
These are followed by three small birds, one of 
them, belonging to the genus Zuznzx, is known as 
T: taigoor, the Indian Black-breasted Hemipode, or 
‘Bustard Quail; the others are Australian species of 
Flemtpodius, the Varied and the Black-backed Hemi- 
podes. These Quail-lke birds seem very much out 
