IBIS ^THIOPICA. (Lath) 
SACRED IBIS. 
Tantahis cethiopicus . — Lath. Ind. Orn. (1790), Vol. II., p. 706, sp. 12. 
Numenius ibis. — Cuv. Ann. du Mus. (1805), Vol. IV., p. 116, t 53. 
Ibis religios a. — Savig. Hist, de l’Egypte (1810), Ois. t. 7, fig. 1 (text), Vol. III., p. 392; Vieill. Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat 
(1817), Vol. XVI., p. 9; Temm. Man. Ornith. (1820), Vol. IV., p. 390; Vieill. Ency. Meth. (1823), 
p. 1144 ; Wagl. Syst. Av. (1827), sp. 2 ; Hemp. & Ehrenb. Sym. Phys. (1828), p. 17 ; Cuv. Regn. Anim. 
(1829), p. 519; Less. Trait. Orn. (1831), p. 568, sp. 15; Wagl. Isis (1832), p. 1231; Sykes, Proc. 
Zool. Soc. (1832), p. i6o, sp. 188; Bon. Consp. Gen. Av. (1857), Vol. II., p. 151; Schleg. Mus. 
Pays-B. (1863), Livr, IV., p. 12; Kirk, Ibis (1864), p. 364; Bree, B. Eur., 1st ed., Vol. IV., p. 45, 
pi. 13 ; Schleg. Proc. Zodl, Soc. (1866), p. 425 ; Sharpe, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1871), p. 614. 
Ibis egretta . — Temm. Man. Orn., Vol. IV., p. 391 ; Bon. Consp. Gen. Av. (1857), Vol. II., p. 15 1. 
Ibis molitcca. — Cuv. MS. Mus. Paris; Id., Regn. Anim., p. 520; Less. Trait. Orn. (1831), p. 568, sp. 13. 
Tantalus ibis. — J. Brookes, Linn, Trans., Vol. XVI. (1830), p. 499. 
Ibis strictipennis. — Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1837). p. 106 ; Bon. Consp. Gen. Av. (1857), Vol. II., p. 15 1 ; Schleg. Mus. 
Pays-B. (1863), Livr. IV., p. 14; Garrod, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1873), pp. 467, 638. 
Threskiornis strictipennis. — Gould, B. Austr., Vol. VI., pi. 46; Id., Hand-b. B. Austr. (1865), Vol. II., p. 284. 
Threskiornis cethiopicus. — Gray, App. List, Gen. Birds (1842), p. 13 ; Gurney, Ibis (i860), p. 219, (1865), p. 275. 
Geronticus strictipennis. — Gray, Gen. B. (1849), Vol. IIP, p. 567, sp. 7; Id., Hand-b. B. (1871), pt. 3, p. 40. 
Geronticus cethiopims. — Gray, Gen. B. (1849), Vol. Ilk, p. 566, sp. 5 ; Layard, B. S. Afr. (1867), p. 320, sp. 604; Gray, 
Hand-b, B. (1871), pt. 3, p. 40; Bartlett, Ibis (1876), p. 211. 
Ibis cethiopica. — Von Heugl. Syst. Ueber. Vog Nordost.-Afr. (1855), p. 2i3,sp. 633 ; Gurney, Ibis (1868), p. 259; Finsch. 
& Hartl. Vog. Ost. Afr. (1870), p. 783 ; Gurney, Anderss. B. Damaral. (1872), p. 297 ; Shelley, B. 
Egypt (1872), p. 261; Heugl. Ornith. Nordost.-Afr. (1873), Band II., Abth. I., p. 1135 ; Ayres, Ibis 
(1874), P- io 5 ! Elliot, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1877), p. 486. 
Thresciornis religiosa. — Hartl. Syst. Orn. W. Afr. (1857), p. 1232, sp. 658 ; Gurney, Ibis (1859), P- ! 53> sp- 9 (1865), P- 2 75 - 
,r T" v HERE is, in all probability, no other bird which by name is as familiar to the educated world at large as the Sacred 
Ibis. It has an interest for the antiquarian as well as the naturalist, and is associated with Egypt, its mummies and 
its temples. It is no longer found in Egypt proper, although it was very abundant there in ancient times, and was wor- 
shipped by the ancient Egyptians. Upon its death it was carefully embalmed, and great quantities of mummies of these 
birds are found in the tombs and pits throughout Egypt. Strabo states that every street in Alexandria was full of them in 
his time, and they were very useful in picking up all kinds of offal thrown out ol the shops. They were very troublesome 
and dirty, and were prevented with difficulty from polluting what was clean and not intended for them. It was the emblem 
of Troth, the scribe of Osiris, and its portrait is still to be seen on many of the monuments and temples. It is known to 
the natives by the name of “Abu Kedrin ” (Father of the Bills), and at the present time seldom ranges farther than 15 0 
north. It generally arrives at Kartoum about the last of July and remains there to breed, but it is much more abundant 
a few degrees farther south, in the neighborhood of the White Nile. Its food consists principally of fishes and aquatic 
insects, and it is claimed that it destroys and eats snakes. It is said that Cuvier discovered the remains of a snake in the 
body of a mummied Ibis. 
Adult Male. — Head and neck naked, skin black; primaries tipped with greenish black. Tertials much length- 
ened, falling over and covering the lower part of the wing; they are dark purple in the adult. Rest of plumage white. 
Legs, horn color; bill, black; iris, red-brown. 
The young bird has the neck covered with short white feathers. 
Length, 30; wing, 14; tail, 6; bill, 7; tarsus, 3.75. 
