132 
IBIS. 
the age of the bird, is blackish green, tinged with purple; 
the bare space from it to the eye is olive green, tinged with 
grey; a furrow extends along each side of the bill. Iris, dark 
brown; head on the crown and sides, deep greenish brown black, 
glossed with metallic purple; the feathers are narrow and 
pointed. Neck and nape, chin, throat, and breast, all deep 
rich reddish brown. Back above, deep rich reddish brown; 
below, blackish or brownish green, splendidly enlivened with 
glittering shades of purple and green as seen in different lights. 
The wings, which expand to the width of two feet nine 
inches, have the first and fourth quill feathers equal in length, 
the second and third longer, the longest in the wing, and of 
mutual equal length. The wings underneath are dark brown. 
Greater and lesser wing coverts, dark red brown, with bronzed 
reflections of rich purple and green; primaries, dark brownish 
black, tinged with green; tertiaries, dark red brown, with 
brilliant green and purple reflections. The tail consists of 
twelve feathers, slightly forked when closed; they are of a 
blackish brown colour, richly tinted with iridescent purple 
and green; under tail coverts, dark brown. The legs, rather 
long and bare above the knees, are as the toes, blackish 
green; claws, dusky olive brown, and not much bent, the 
middle one brought to a sharp edge on the inside, and sometimes 
slightly but irregularly serrated. 
There is little or no difference in the plumage of the male 
and female, the latter is rather less; weight, about sixteen 
ounces. 
The young have at first a brown down; afterwards, before 
the first moult, the bill is greenish black, fading to brown 
towards the tip, and about five inches in length. Head, 
crown, neck on the back, and nape, pale brown, the feathers 
margined with white, giving a spotted appearance. On the 
throat are one or two narrow transverse bars, and a large 
irregular spot of white on a brown ground; the feathers edged 
with greenish reflections; breast on the upper part, brown, 
with greenish reflections on the margins of the feathers; back, 
glossy olive green, with faint changeable reflections of purple 
red. Tail and upper tail coverts, dull dark reddish brown. 
The whole plumage is at first without the glossy tints, which 
gradually afterwards appear. Legs and toes, blackish green. 
