14 
GLOSSY IBIS. 
described by several names, as shown by a reference 
to the synonyms. In the old birds the head is of a 
dusky chesnut ; with the neck, the breast, the top of 
the back, and all the inferior parts of the body of a 
bright red-chesnut j the rest of the back, the rump, 
the wing-coverts, the quills and tail-feathers of a 
dusky green, glossed with bronze and purple : the 
beak is of a black green, but brown towards the point : 
the naked space round the eyes is green, encircled 
with a band of greyish : the irides are brown : the 
feet are brown-green : the length of the bird is nearly 
two feet. The female diflPers merely in being rather 
less. The young or green Ibis of authors has the 
feathers of the head, the throat, and the neck, longi- 
tudinally striped with dusky-brown and bordered with 
whitish ; the under parts of the neck, the breast, the 
belly, and thighs, are of an ashy black : the top of the 
back and the scapulars are of an ashy brown ; with 
reflections of green on the tail : before the first 
year the plumage is more dusky, and the white edges 
to the feathers on the head and neck are broader. 
This species inhabits the borders of rivers and 
lakes ; and is very abundant during its migrations in 
Poland, Hungary, Turkey, and the Grecian Archi- 
pelago ; it also visits the banks of the Danube, and 
is found in Switzerland and Italy, and occasionally in 
Holland and England : it also visits Egypt, and 
other parts of Africa, but it is supposed to breed in 
Asia: its food consists of insects, worms, aquatic 
moUusca and vegetables. 
According to Temminck this bird, which is called 
by the Arabs El hareizy as well as the Ibis reli- 
