3 88 
THE SAVAGE WORLD. 
live terrapin and after digesting the softer parts ejects the shell and bones. 
The adjutant is about five feet in height, nests upon dead trees, and has 
a very sombre plumage. 
The Jabira (. Mycteria australia) is a close relation of the adjutant, resem¬ 
bling it both in aspect and habits, though presenting a point of difference in 
having the neck and head covered with feathers of a rich green metallic 
lustre. It is an extremely rare bird, found only in Australia, and even in its 
favorite haunts is so uncommon as to lead to the belief that it will soon 
become extinct. A species of jabira i§ also found in Brazil. 
MARSH BIRDS \ PERICANS, SPOON-BIRRS, CRANKS, EGRETS, GODWITS AND PROVERS. 
The Sacred Ibis ( Ibis religiosa ) is an Egyptian bird, though it does not 
breed in that country, migrating further south in the latitude of Khartoum 
for that purpose. It has long been a matter for dispute as to what species of 
ibis the Egyptians once worshipped, nor can the dispute be settled by the 
remains that have been recovered embalmed with mummies. Some naturalists even 
maintain that the sacred ibis was never found native to Egypt, but that the 
specimens which are met with among the mummied remains were imported to 
serve a religious purpose. Dr. Adams, concerning this opinion, says that while he 
finds “no reason for considering the sacred ibis to have been a native at any 
time of either Egypt or Nubia,” he has “ no doubt that it was imported by 
