SPECIES 2. TANTALUS RUBER. 
SCARLET IBIS. 
[Plate LXVI.— Fig. 2.] 
Le Couiii rouge du Rresi/, Briss. v,p. 344, 12, jig. 1, 2. — Buff. 
VIII, p. 35. — Red Curlew, Catesby, i, 84. — Lath, hi, p. 106. — 
Arct. Zool, No. 361. — Peale’s Museum, No. 3864, 3865 Fe- 
male.* 
This beautiful bird is found in the most southern parts of 
Carolina; also in Georgia and Florida, chiefly about the seashore 
and its vicinity. In most parts of America within the tropics, 
and in almost all the West India islands it is said to be common; 
also in the Bahamas. Of its manners little more has been col- 
lected than that it frequents the borders of the sea and shores 
of the neighbouring rivers, feeding on small fry, shell fish, sea 
worms and small crabs. It is said frequently to perch on trees, 
sometimes in large flocks; but to lay its eggs on the ground on 
a bed of leaves. The eggs are described as being of a greenish 
colour; the young when hatched black, soon after gray, and be- 
fore they are able to fly white, continuing gradually to assume 
their red colour until the third year, when the scarlet plumage 
is complete. It is also said that they usually keep in flocks, the 
young and old birds separately. They have frequently been 
domesticated. One of them which lived for some time in the 
Museum of this city, was dexterous at catching flies, and most 
usually walked about, on that pursuit, in the position in which 
it is represented in the plate. 
* AVe add the following synonymes:— 2VMUaius fiiifte)-, Lath. Ind. Orn. p. 70S, 
No. 2. — T.fiiscus, Id. p. 705, No. 8 . — Gmel Sijst. i, p. 651, No. 5, No. 7. — Le 
Ccurly hrun du Bresil, Briss. v, p. 341. — Byown Curlew, Catesby, i, S3, 
Young. — Courly rouge du Bresil, de Cage de deux ans, PL Enl. 80. — Id. de Page 
de trois ans, 81. 
