396 
APPENDIX. 
IBIS FALCINELLUS, Linnceus. 
(F. igneus, G. R. Gray.) 
Glossy Ibis. 
Gould, Handbh., Bds. Aust., Yol. ii., sp. 540, p. 286. 
Mr. K. H. Bennett has forwarded the following notes respect¬ 
ing the nidification of this bird :—“ On the 22nd of October, 1889, 
whilst swimming about in a large depression on the plains, filled 
with water by the late heavy rains, and thickly overgrown with 
“ Box ” trees, (a species of Eucalyptus ) in quest of the eggs of 
Platalea Jlavipes, I noticed a Glossy Ibis, (Ibis falcinellus) fly ofl 
a nest, but as I had never known or heard of this bird breeding 
here I did not take much notice of the occurrence, thinking that 
the Ibis had been merely perched on the nest, although I thought 
at the time that it appeared very different from those of the 
Herons and Spoonbills. After swimming about for some time 
and obtaining several Spoonbill’s eggs, I returned to land and in 
doing so passed the tree in which I had noticed the Ibis, and 
again saw it fly off the nest, and at once concluded it was the nest 
of the Ibis after all. On ascending the tree (the branch on which 
the nest was placed being not more than eight or nine feet from 
the water) I found that such was the case, and that it contained 
one freshly laid egg, which I unfortunately broke whilst swimming 
to land. One the 2nd November, I again visited this swamp or 
depression in the hope of obtaining more Ibises’ eggs, and was so 
fortunate as to obtain six, three of which were from the nest from 
which I took one on the 22nd ultimo; to my surprise and grati¬ 
fication on nearing the tree I observed the bird fly off the nest, 
and on examination I found it contained three eggs. A further 
search revealed another nest which also contained three eggs, but 
which are considerably larger than those previously obtained, so 
much so that had I not seen the bird fly ofl’ the nest I should 
have been in doubt as to their identity, but on this point there 
was no possibility of mistake, for the eggs being in a somewhat 
advanced stage of incubation, the old bird evinced a great reluct¬ 
ance to quit the nest, and allowed me to approach almost within 
arm’s length before she did so. The two nests were placed in 
Z 2—Appendix II. 
