62 
WOOD IBIS. 
given of it by Mr William Bartram, who had the best oppor- 
tunities of noting them. 
“ This solitary bird,” he observes, “ does not associate in 
flocks, but is generally seen alone, commonly near the banks 
of great rivers, in vast marshes or meadows, especially such as 
are covered by inundations, and also in the vast deserted rice 
plantations ; he stands alone, on the topmost limb of tall dead 
cypress trees, his neck contracted or drawn in upon his shoul- 
ders, and his beak resting like a long scythe upon his breast ; 
in this pensive posture, and solitary situation, they look ex- 
tremely grave, sorrowful, and melancholy, as if in the deepest 
thought. They are never seen on the sea-coast, and yet are 
never found at a great distance from it. They feed on serpents, 
young alligators, frogs, and other reptiles.”* 
The figure of this bird, given in the plate, was drawn from 
a very fine specimen, sent to me from Georgia by Stephen 
Elliot, Esq. of Beaufort, South Carolina ; its size and mark- 
ings were as follow : — 
Length, three feet two inches ; bill, nearly nine inches long, 
straight for half its length, thence curving downwards to the 
extremity, and full two inches thick at the base, where it rises 
high in the head, the whole of a brownish horn colour ; the 
under mandible fits into the upper in its whole length, and both 
are very sharp edged ; face, and naked head, and part of the 
neck, dull greenish blue, wrinkled ; eye, large, seated high in 
the head ; irides, dark red; under the lower jaw is a loose cor- 
rugated skin, or pouch, capable of containing about half a 
pint ; whole body, neck, and lower parts, white ; quills, dark 
glossy green and purple ; tail, about two inches shorter than 
the wings, even at the end, and 6f a deep and rich violet; legs 
and naked thighs, dusky green; feet and toes, yellowish, 
sprinkled with black ; feet, almost semipalmated, and bordered 
to the claws with a narrow membrane ; some of the greater 
wing-coverts are black at the root, and shafted with black ; 
* Travels, &c. p. 150. 
