5 
EGYPTIAN TANTALUS. 
(Tantalus Ibis.) 
Ta. purpiireo-albiis, remigibus rectricibusque nigris ; rostro Jlavo, 
Jacie pedibusque ritfis. 
Purple-white Tantalus, with the quills and tail-feathers black, 
the beak yellow, the face and feet red. 
Tantalus Ibis. Lin. Sijst. Nat. i. 241. 4. Gmel. Si/st. Nat. i. 650. 
Lath. Ind. Om. ii. 706. 
Ibis Candida. Briss. Orn. 5. 349. 14. 
L'Ibis blanc. Buff. PI. Enl. 389. Buff. Ois. 8. \A.pl. 1 
Le Tantale d'Afrique. Cuv. Beg. Aiiim. 1 . 480. 
Egyptian Ibis. Lath. Gen. Syn. 5. 111. 10. 
White, slightly shaded with purple on the wings; 
the beak yellow, the naked part of the head and neck 
red ; the quills and tail black : the thighs and legs 
red : length upwards of three feet. 
This species inhabits the lower part of Egypt, and 
it is also abundant in Senegal ; it w^as for a long 
time considered by naturalists as the bird worshipped 
by the Egyptians by the name of Ibis ; but recent 
researches have proved that that is a much smaller 
species, and is not found in the same part of Egypt. 
Its food, as in the other species of this genus, con- 
sists of frogs and insects. 
Found also in Sumatra, according to Sir S. Raffles, 
in his descriptive catalogue of the animals of that 
island, published in the 13th volume of the Linnean 
Transactions. 
