284 
VERTEBEATA. 
moving about in quest of stell-fish, marine animals, small snails, and fish. In pursuit of these it 
sometimes swims and dives. This species, as well as the others, live in communities during the 
breeding season, and often feed by twilight. 
Genus IBIS : Ibis. — Of this there are several species. The Glossy Ibis, I.falcinellus — /. Ordii 
of Bonaparte — is two feet long ; of a dark green above, and a fine reddish-brown beneath ; the 
whole plumage being silky and glossed Avith purplish bronze. It frequents the borders of rivers, 
lakes, &c., and feeds on worms and mollusca. It is common in Southern Europe, and parts of 
Africa and Asia. It is supposed to be the ^^ac^ Ibis of the ancients. This species is occasionally 
found in the United States. Some authors, however, believe the ibis met with on this Continent 
to be distinct from the European one, though closely resembling it. 
The Sacred Ibis, /. religiosa, is twenty-three inches long ; plumage white ; the wings tipped 
with black ; found throughout Africa, and occurs abundantly in Egypt, where it was regarded 
with great veneration by the ancient Egyptians, w^ho kept them in their temples, and embalmed 
them after their death ; thousands of their remains are still found in the burial places amid the 
ruins of ancient Egypt. Various reasons have been given for this custom, some saying that the 
Ibis destroyed the noxious serpents which were so numerous in that country; others that there 
was supposed to be some analogy between the plumage of the bird and one of the phases of the 
moon ; while a third opinion is that the birds were regarded with favor, because, their annual mi- 
gration into Egypt taking place at the period of the rising of the Nile, they were considered as 
the harbingers of that event. This bird, often called the AYhite Ibis — /. alba of De Kay and 
others — is also found, though rarely, in the Gulf Atlantic States. 
The Scarlet Ibis, /. rubra, is twenty-three inches long, of a fine scarlet color, and is found 
along the shores of tropical America ; is occasionally seen in the southern parts of the United 
States. It is sometimes domesticated and associates with the poultry. 
The Wood Ibis, Tantalus loculator, is according to Wilson, three feet two inches long, of 
which the bill forms nine inches ; general color white ; quills dark glossy green and purple. Its 
haunts are along the margins of rivers, and amid marshes and meadows ; found from Brazil to the 
Southern States. 
CICOIsIN^, INCLUDING ADJUTANTS, JA- 
BRiaS, STORKS, Ac. 
Gemis CICONIA: Ciconia. — This in- 
cludes the Storks, which are large birds, 
chiefly inhabiting the warmer regions of 
the earth, where they frequent marshy places, 
feeding upon reptiles, batrachians, fishes, and 
other small animals, not excluding small 
quadrupeds and birds. Many of them devour 
indiscriminately almost any thing that comes 
in their way, including garbage of all kinds ; 
hence, like the vultures and other carrion- 
eating animals, they are regarded with gTcat 
favor by the inhabitants of warm climates. 
Several species perform long migrations, vis- 
iting temperate and cold climates during 
the summer ; but the majority appear to be 
permanently resident in warm countries. 
The best-known species is the White 
Stork, C. alba, which is about three feet 
and a half in length, and is of a white color, 
with the quills and coverts of the wings 
black, and the bill and feet red. These birds 
THE WHITE STOEK. 
visit the central parts of Europe in the 
spring, and remain there during the summer, departing usually in the month of October for their 
