BIRDS—TANTALIDAE—IBIS ORDII. 
685 
IBIS ORDII, Bo nap. 
Glossy Ibis. 
?? Tantalus mexicanus, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 652. 
Tantalus mexicanus, Ord, J. A. N. Sc. I, 1817, 53. 
Ibis falcinellus, Bonap. Obs. 1825, No. 199.— Ib. Syn. 312.— Ib. Am. Orn. IY, 1831,23 ; pl.xxiii.— Nuttall, Man.II, 
1834, 88 .—Aud. Orn. Biog IV, 1838, 608 ; pi. 387.— Ib. Syn. 257.— Ib. Birds Amer. VI, 1843, 50 ; 
pi. 358. 
Ibis ordii, Bonap. List, 1838. 
Falcinellus ordii, Bonap. Consp. II, 1855, 159. 
? Ibis guarauna, Woodhouse, Sitgreaves’ Exp. 1853, 98. 
Sp. Ch. —Forehead feathered almost to the bill. Color chestnut ; the top of head and back metallic green, glossed with 
purple. Bill dusky ; the naked skin at base slate blue. Length, 20.50 inches; wing, 10; tarsus, 3.30 ; bill above, 4.30. 
Hub. —Found singly and at intervals over the whole United States. 
General color, including the lesser wing coverts, opaque purplish orange chestnut brown. 
Top of head and nape, both sides of wing, (except the lesser coverts,) and the tail, metallic 
green, glossed variously with purple ; the interscapular region and anterior scapulars purple 
chestnut. The opaque feathers of the neck and head edged obscurely with dusky ; the hare 
skin of the head all round bordered by whitish. The bill is dusky in the skin ; in life it is said 
to be blackish ; the hare skin at the base slate blue. The feet grayish black. 
Young specimens are similar, except that the head and neck are of an opaque dull greyish 
brown, the feathers more or less edged narrowly with whitish. 
The svnonomy of this species is in very great confusion, and it is difficult to say what name it 
should hear. Admitting it to be distinct from the European Ibis falcinellus , the earliest name for an 
American bird is Tantalus guaruana, of Linnaeus, which, however, is considered by Bonaparte 
to be distinct, and confined to South America. The T. mexicanus of Gmelin, referred to the 
same species by Bonaparte, seems to have as much claim to identity with the North American 
as with the more southern bird. The T. clialcopterus of Temminck belongs to the South 
American species. Setting aside T. mexicanus of Gmelin as too uncertain for the present case, 
the next name in order is the ordi of Bonaparte. 
List of specimens. 
Catal. 
No. 
Sex. 
Locality. 
When col¬ 
lected. 
Whence obtained. 
Orig. 
No. 
Collected by— 
Length. 
Stretch 
of wings. 
Wing. 
Remarks. 
9503 
4142 
Q 
24.00 
34.00 
10.25 
5117 
Ojo del Cuerpo, N. M .. 
Sept. 29, 1855 
139 
26.00 
33.50 
11.00 
gums reddish yellow, 
feet dark gray. 
9506 
Q 
Frontera,RioGrande,Tex 
C. Wright.. 
30.00 
10.50 
9504 
Santa Cruza, Sonora... 
71 
Fort Tejon, Cal. 
9505 
Mar. 28, 1854 
196 
Kenn. and Mull.. 
22.00 
36.00 
16.00 
8069 
Mexico... 
Sept. —, 1836 
