182 
Recent Literature. 
The female in first plumage I have not seen, but two young females 
before me, which have nearly perfected their autumnal plumage, have 
each a well-defined mustache, — not black, however, as in the male of any 
age, but of a dark plumbeous color. Upon raising the feathers, many of 
them are found to be nearly black at their bases, and a few entirely black 
ones appear. I have seen two other females, both young birds in imper- 
fect autumnal dress, which had similar dark mustaches. It seems not 
unlikely that many females of this species may in first plumage be marked 
nearly like the males. 
a&mwt iUtmttmr. 
Elliot’s Review of the Ibidin^e, or Ibises. — During the past year 
three important papers have appeared relating to different groups of the He- 
rodiones. In June, 1877, Mr. D. G. Elliot published a paper on the Ibises,* 
Dr. Ant. Reichenow has reviewed the whole group of Herodiones , and 
later Mr. Ridgway has written about some of the American species. Mr. 
Elliot treats the Ibises and Spoonbills as subfamilies of one family, for 
which he adopts the name Ibididce. After a short resume of the literature 
of the subject he gives a key to the nineteen genera (three being new), 
among which he distributes his twenty-five species. Then follows a sys- 
tematic review of the species, with their principal synonymy, and various 
critical and descriptive remarks, with generally a short account of their 
habits and geographical distribution. The genus Ibis is very properly re- 
stricted to embrace only the Sacred Ibis of the Egyptians and a few other 
allied species. Falcinellus is employed as the generic designation for 
the Glossy Ibis and its allies. Of this group four species are recognized, 
three of which (F. guarauna, F. ridgwayi, and F. thalassinus ) are exclu- 
sively American, the other (F. igneus ) being “ cosmopolitan,” and repre- 
sented with us by the 11 Ibis ordii” of Bonaparte arid most American 
wwiters. The generic name Ibis being untenable for any of the New 
World species, Eudocimus (Wagler, 1832) is taken as the only generic 
name applicable to our WTiite and Scarlet Ibises. — J. A. A. 
Ridgway’s Studies of the American Herodiones. — The first + of 
the series of papers here begun deals mainly with the Ardeidce and Cico- 
* Review of the Ibidinse, or Subfamily of the Ibises. By D. G. Elliot, F. R. 
S. E., F. L. S., etc. etc. Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1877, pp. 477 - 510, PI. LI. 
t Studies of the American Herodiones. Part I. — Synopsis of the American 
genera of Ardeidce and Ciconiidce ; including descriptions of three new genera, 
and a monograph of the American species of the genus Ardea. By Robert 
Ridgway. Bull. U. S. Geol. and Geogr. Survey, Yol. IY, pp. 219-251, February 
5, 1878. 
