eee ee Cel bOaNee ibe Un Ele hs ralaNn y 
Christmas tree, but actually these bright colors are not visible unless the 
ibis is viewed at close range. While I watched one of the birds leisurely 
feeding, the slowly moving tail alternately appeared to be almost black, 
changing to pink or magenta. 
It was a strikingly similar experience to one I had had while watching 
a Black-chinned Hummingbird in California a week before. It was very 
close to me and as it moved its head from side to side the lower edge of the 
black chin patch glistened with almost the same irridescent colors. Inci- 
dentally it occured to me that irridescent would be a more descriptive 
name for the ibis than glossy. 
As we entered the refuge we met a bus load of high school students 
who were securing first-hand knowledge of biology from a very practical 
source. It was gratifying to learn that visits of this nature are not only 
permitted but are definitely encouraged. 
Avocet at Nest 
The first birds to be seen in considerable numbers were members of the 
duck family. Practically all of these were nesting since the migrants had 
departed. They were confined to species that we see in the Chicago region 
such as the Mallard, Gadwall, Pintail, and the Blue-winged Teal, but some 
of these seldom or never seen in our area were abundant. For example, 
the Cinnamon Teal nests in greater numbers than the Blue-winged. I had 
not had the opportunity to observe the Cinnamon Teal so closely before 
and had not realized that the male is so much more colorful than it appears 
to be at some distance. I should have liked to spend hours watching the 
ducks but there was much territory to cover and we hurried on to the 
refuge headquarters. 
hie 
