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GLOSSY IBIS. 
of both mandibles are quite entire, and being bent in, they form 
together when closed another deep channel: the upper mandible 
is filled inside to a great extent with the bony substance of the 
bill, so as to be hardly concave. The under mandible follows 
exactly the curve of the upper, and is but half as high on the 
sides: it is strongly canaliculated below from the base to the tip; 
the channel from the tip to the middle is narrow, but then widens 
considerably, and is extremely wide at base, where it is filled by 
a naked membrane forming a kind of jugular pouch. The nostrils 
are placed near the base of the mandible, at the origin of the 
lateral furrows, and are oblong, narrow, longitudinal, furnished 
in the upper part with a naked membrane. The tongue is 
sagittate and less than three-fourths of an inch from the acute 
point of its lateral lobe to its tip: the jugular pouch is dusky: the 
small naked part of the face, the lora and region around the eyes 
are of a greenish gray, which passes into whitish on the limits 
of the feathers : the irides are dark brown. The crown of the 
head and cheeks are of a brownish black with purplish reflections; 
the throat immediately below the pouch is of the same colour, 
though somewhat less brilliant, and with more green reflections; 
the feathers of the head are pointed, those of the occiput being 
moreover suberectile : the whole base of the plumage is of a pale 
sooty gray. The feathers of the back and wing-coverts are com¬ 
pact and rounded; those of the inferior parts are rather loose 
in texture at their margins: hind head, neck, upper portion of the 
back, inner wing-coverts to the shoulder of the wing, and all the 
internal parts of the body, together with the thighs, of a vivid 
brownish chesnut, very brilliant and purplish on the interscapular 
region: lower portion of the back, rump, vent, tail and wings 
entirely, including the upper and lower coverts and the long 
axillary feathers, glossy golden green, with purple reflections, 
except the primaries, which are pure golden green. The wings 
VOL. IV.- 
4 
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