WOOD IBIS. 
61 
far south as Cayenne, Brazil, and various parts of South Ame- 
rica. In the United States it is migratory ,* but has never, to 
my knowledge, been found to the north of Virginia. Its fa- 
vourite haunts are watery savannas and inland swamps, where 
it feeds on fish and reptiles. The French inhabitants of Lou- 
isiana esteem it good eating. 
With the particular manners of this species I am not per- 
sonally acquainted ; but the following characteristic traits are 
The genus Ibis is more extensive ; they are spread over all the world, and 
among themselves present very considerable modifications of form. Those of 
Northern America are three. The two now figured, and the I. Falcinellus of 
Europe, first noticed by Mr Ord as a native of that country, in the Journal of the 
Academy, under the name of Tantalus Mexicanus, and afterwards recognised by 
the Prince of Musignano as the bird of Europe. By Wagler, in his Systema Avium, 
they are put into three divisions, distinguished by the scutellation of the tarsi, 
and the proportion of the toes. The face is often bare ; in one or two the crown 
is developed into a shield, as in I. calva ; in a few the head and neck are un- 
plumed, I. sacra and melanocephalus ; and in some, as that of Europe, the face and 
head are nearly wholly clothed, and bear close resemblance to the curlews. 
They are all partly gregarious, feed in small groups, and breed on trees in most 
extensive communities. They include birds well known for many curious 
particulars connected with the history and superstitions of nations, and gorgeous 
from the pureness and decided contrast or dazzling richness of their plumage. 
To the former will belong the sacred ibis of antiquity, whose bodies, in the 
icords of a versatile and pleasing writer, — “from the perfection of an unknown 
process, have almost defied the ravages of time ; and, through its interventions, 
the self-same individuals exist in a tangible form, which wandered along the 
banks of the mysterious Nile in the earliest ages of the world, or, ‘ in dim seclu- 
sion veiled,’ inhabited the sanctuary of temples, which, though themselves of 
most magnificent proportions, are now scarcely discernible amid the desert dust 
of an unpeopled wilderness.” To the others will belong the brilliant species 
next described, no less remarkable for its unassuming garb in the dress of the 
first year, and the richly plumaged glossy ibis. The last-mentioned bird 
is more worthy of notice, holding a prominent part in the mythology of the 
Egyptians, and occasionally honoured by embalment ; it is also of extensive 
geographical distribution, being found in India, Africa, America, Europe, and 
an occasional stray individual finding a devious course to the shores of Great 
Britain. A specimen has occurred on the Northumbrian coast within this 
month. — Ed. 
