IBIDIDrE — THE IBISES — EUDOCIMUS. 
87 
edge convex. Anterior half of the head bare (in the adult) including the forehead, lores, orbital 
and malar regions, chin, and more or less of the throat ; in the young, this bare skin more 
restricted. Feathers of the head and neck dense but rather soft, with rather distinct outlines, 
but Avitli somewhat truncated tips. Primaries extending a little beyond the tertials, the second 
and third quills longest and nearly equal, first a little shorter than the fourth ; inner webs of 
outer four slightly sinuated toward their ends. 
Synopsis of Species. 
1. E. ruber. Adult: Ends of several outer primaries glossy blue-black; rest of plumage 
entirely uniform rich pure scarlet, the shafts of the primaries white, as far as the black 
tips. Bill dusky or reddish ; bare skin of head pinkish, or lake-red ; legs and feet red. 
Young: Dark brownish gray, the belly white. Wing, 10.80-11.00; tail, 4.10-4.80; 
culmen, 6.00-6.50 ; depth of bill, .70 ; tarsus, 3.70-3.80 ; middle toe, 2.55-2.60. Ilab. 
Tropical America, on the Atlantic side ; accidental ( !) in Louisiana and Texas. 
2. E. albus. Ends of several outer primaries glossy greenish black ; rest of plumage entirely 
pure Avhite. Bill, naked portion of head, legs, and feet, reddish (pale yellowish in dried 
skins) ; iris pale blue. Young: Uniform grayish brown, the rump, base of tail, and 
under parts white ; head and neck streaked rvith white and grayish, the former feath- 
ered nearly to the bill. Wing, 10,30-11.75 ; tail, 4.00-5.00 ; culmen, 4.15-6.30 ; depth 
of bill, .60-.72 ; tarsus, 3.10-4.00; middle toe, 2.15-2.70. Hub.: Southern States, 
north, casually, to Connecticut, Eastern Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Utah ; south to 
Brazil and throughout West Indies. 
Eudocimus ruber. 
THE SCARLET IBIS. 
Tantalus ruber, Linn. S. FT. I. 1766, 211, no. 5 . — Wilson, Am. Orn. VIII. 1811, 11, pi. lxvi. 
Eudocimus ruber, Wagl., Isis, 1832, 1232. — IIidgav. Xom. N. Am. B. 1882, no. 502. — Coues, 
Check-List, 2d ed. 1882, no. 652. 
Scol.opax rubra, Scopolt, Bemerk. ed. Giintli. 1770, 106, no. 130. 
Ibis rubra, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. XVI. 1817, 22. — Nutt. Man. II. 1831, 81. — Aud. Orn. Biog. V. 
1839, 62 ; Synop. 1839, 257 ; Birds Am. VI. 1813, 53, pi. 359 (adult and young). — Cassin, in 
Baird’s Birds N. Am. 1858, 683. — -Baird, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, no. 198. — Coues, Key, 1872, 
261; Check List, 1873, no. 117. — Scl. & Salv. Nom. Neotr. 1873, 126. — Boucard, Catal. 
Av. 1876, 18, no. 1337. 
Ilab. — Chiefly the northern shores of South America, but also occurs sparingly among the 
West Indian Islands and on the Gulf Coast of Middle America; accidental (!) in Louisiana and 
Southern Texas. 
Sp. Char. — Adult : Ends of the four outer primaries glossy blue-black, with a steel-blue 
reflection ; rest of the plumage entirely uniform rich pure scarlet, the shafts of the primaries, 
as far as the black tips, pure A\diite. Bill grayish-black; 1 bare skin of the head pale lake-red 
or pinkish; legs and feet red. Young : Brownish gray, much darker than in E. albus; abdomen 
Avhite. 
Length, about 28.00-30 00 ; expanse, 40.00-45.00 ; Aving, 10.80-11.00; tail, 4.10-4.80 ; culmen, 
6.00- 6.50; depth of bill, .70 ; tarsus, 3.70-3.80 ; middle toe, 2.55-2.60 ; bare portion of tibia, 
2.00- 2.40. 
The scarlet color of this splendid bird is probably not exceeded in purity and intensity. It is, 
in fact, the very perfection of that color. It far surpasses the red of any Passerine bird knoAvn to 
us, even the plumage of the Scarlet Tanager (Pyrangct rubra ) appearing dull and harsh beside it. 
The black tips of the primaries do not always end abruptly, but in some specimens this color 
1 Audubon describes the bill as “pale lake.” This, however, is not the case with any specimens 
which Ave have examined. He also says that the quills are white — an evident mistake, the shafts of the 
quills having no doubt been meant. 
