have been known to stray to Surrey, Berkshire, Hertfordshire,
and other inland counties.
In Ireland the Glossy Ibis has occurred either singly or
in small flocks, generally in autumn or early winter, in the
southern counties of Waterford and Cork, and, more rarely,
in Wexford, Dublin, King’s County, and Longford ; also
once in Belfast; but it has not yet been recorded from the
western side of the island.
This species has been known to straggle to Iceland, the
Faeroes, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and the Baltic provinces
; but its occurrence to the north of about 50° N. lat.
can only be considered accidental. Southwards it becomes
more common, and it is believed to breed in the Camargue,
near the mouth of the Rhone, as it undoubtedly does in
the marshes of the south of Spain. To the islands of the
Mediterranean and the countries washed by that sea, it is a
regular migrant; but its principal breeding-places in Europe
are in the marshes of Slavonia, Hungary, the valley of the
Danube, and South Russia, from the Black Sea to the
Caspian. Eastward it has been found in suitable localities
in Asia, as far as 48° N. la t.; and it is known to breed in
Sind and in Ceylon. Other parts of India are visited by it
in winter, at which season it also appears to range from
Burmali, through the Eastern Archipelago, to South Australia.
It nests in suitable localities in North Africa, and
occurs in winter and on its migrations, in Egypt, Nubia,
Kordofan, and Abyssinia. On the east side it is said to
have been found as far south as Natal; also in Madagascar;
but Messrs. Sharpe and Layard do not mention it as occurring
in Cape Colony, in their ‘ Birds of South Africa ’; and
on the west it has not been traced south of Benguela.
In North America, according to Messrs. Baird, Brewer,
and Ridgway, this same species occurs sparingly from New
England to Nevada, where it has been found breeding; it
is also said to breed in Florida, and to visit Mexico, Cuba,
and the Bermudas; there is, however, a little uncertainty
as to whether some of these records may not refer to the
representative species on the American Continent, Plegadis
gmrauna, which has a white margin of feathers surrounding
the bare space on the head. In Peru and Chili there is a
third species, P. ridgwayi.
Mr. W. E. Clarke found the Glossy Ibis breeding by
thousands in the great bird-colony already mentioned on the
Obedska ‘ bara ’ in Slavonia, where a single bush contained
one nest of Common Heron, two of Pigmy Cormorant, three
of Night-Heron, two of Little Egret, one of Squacco, and
three of this species, many other bushes and trees being
equally laden. The nests of the Ibis were somewhat large
structures formed of sticks and a few reeds, placed on the
lower branches of sallow-bushes, never more than two feet
above the water, and most of them had the appearance
of floating on the surface, being supported by submerged
boughs. In Sind, Mr. Doig found the nests on the top of
‘ kundy ’ trees, and in a colony visited by Col. Legge, in
Ceylon, in March 1872, the nests, described as small and
almost flat, were placed upon the horizontal forks of small
branches in thorny trees. The eggs, three or four in
number, are oval and of a beautiful greenish-blue, roughly
pitted over with slight indentations; average measurements
2 in. by 1*5 in. The young, when still unable to fly, are
described by Col. Legge as climbing actively among the
branches of the trees in which the nests are placed, clinging
so firmly with their feet as to be removed with difficulty.
In Europe the Glossy Ibis lives principally on the banks
of rivers, and on the shores of lakes or muddy flats which
are occasionally flooded over; feeding on small reptiles, the
fry of fishes, small Crustacea, aquatic insects, worms, and
other soft-bodied animals. On the plains of Africa, according
to Von Heuglin, its diet consists of beetles, scorpions,
and especially locusts. In its flight the pinions are beaten
rapidly, producing a whizzing sound, after which the bird
skims for some distance.
In the adult bird the beak is dark purple-brown, the lore
and the naked skin around the eyes olive-green, tinged with
grey; the irides hazel; the head, the neck all round, and
the interscapulars, deep reddish-brown ; wing-coverts and