BITTERNS AND IBISES 
263 
The Least Bittern 1 is the smallest member 
of the Heron Order, — a queer little brownish- 
yellow and black creature, duly mottled, of 
course, with a sparrow-like body, and a wide, 
flat neck several sizes too large for the body of 
the bird. On the whole, it is a pretty little 
creature, associated by habit with the long- 
billed marsh-wren, the rail, and the red-winged 
blackbird. 
THE STORK FAMILY. 
Ciconiidae. 
The real Storks are found only in the Old 
World; but the Wood Ibis 2 is a member of 
the Stork Family, and he looks it. He is a 
big, burly, bald-headed, good-natured bird, 
standing 31 inches high. No matter what goes 
on around him, he is as solemn as an owl. Al- 
though large enough to do much damage to 
birds smaller than himself, he associates with 
herons, ducks, geese, and ibises, of all sizes, 
without the slightest desire to harm any of them, 
or even to rule them. In a large bird, capable 
of much mischief, such perpetual good temper 
is worthy of note. 
When this bird is adult and clean, its plumage 
is pure white, and it is a noteworthy member 
of any feathered community. Specimens are 
nearly always procurable in Florida at a reasona- 
ble price (SS), and there are always several in 
the New York Zoological Park. This species 
“breeds in Florida and the Gulf states, after 
which it wanders north as far as Kansas, In- 
diana and New York.” (F. M. Chapman.) 
THE IBIS FAMILY 
Ibididae. 
In North America this Family contains three 
species of birds that, are heron-like in general 
form, but are quite differently provided as to 
their bills. The bill of a true ibis is long, slen- 
der and curved, much like that of a long-billed 
curlew, and it is fitted for probing in soft earth, 
or shallow water. The neck is round, and the 
head also, instead of being flat-sided like that 
of a heron. 
The White Ibis 3 is yet found in Florida, and 
excepting the four outer wing-feathers (prima- 
1 Ar-det't a ex-i'lis. Length, 13 inches. 
2 Tan'ta-lus hc-u-la'tor. Average length, 38 inches. 
3 Guar' a al'ba. Average length, 24 inches. 
eris), which are black, it is a pure-white bird. 
Specimens in the first year are grayish-brown 
and white, and in color do not even suggest the 
pure-white plumage of the second year, and 
thereafter. This species rarely comes into any 
of the northern states. 
The beautiful and brilliant Scarlet Ibis , 4 
once a habitant of southern Florida and Louisi- 
ana, is no longer found in the United States. 
In color it is one of the most brilliant birds in 
all America, though by no means so beautiful 
as the resplendent t.rogon. I saw it in great 
numbers on the mud-flats at the mouth of the 
WHITE IBIS. 
Orinoco, and shot it on the coast of British 
Guiana. On Marajo Island, in the delta of the 
Amazon, it breeds in hundreds — a sight worth 
a long journey to see. Unfortunately, it is 
impossible to keep specimens of this species in 
confinement and have them retain their color. 
In a few months they fade until they are pale 
pink. 
The Glossy Ibis 5 is a dark-colored bird, its 
prevailing color being rich brownish-purple with 
metallic-green reflections, and abundant irides- 
cence. It seems smaller than the two light-colored 
species mentioned above, but in reality it is not. 
In 1899 two specimens were captured on the St. 
Johns River, opposite Melbourne, Florida, and 
one of them lived two years in the Zoological 
Park. This species is rare, even in Florida, but 
in Texas and the Southwest the White-Faced 
Glossy Ibis is of more frequent occurrence. 
4 Guar' a ru'bra. Length, 23 inches. 
5 Pleg'a-dis au-tum-nal'is. Length, 23 inches. 
