222 POPULAR SCRIPTURE ZOOLOGY.

and distinguish the child who was to pursue the rest, so
well as to be, along with the rest, on its guard.

Insts RELIGIOsA.—The White Ibis. (Plate XV.)

The genus dis closely resembles the stork in habits and
in general conformation; the species chiefly inhabit warm
countries, but, with the exception of the very cold regions,
they are to be met with in most parts of the world. The
beak is long, arched, thick at the base, but growing slender
towards the tip, which is rounded; the head and throat are
bare; the legs are long, the three front toes webbed as far
as the first joint, the hind toe very long. The ibis frequents
the banks of rivers and lakes, feeding on insects, mollusca,
worms, and sometimes on vegetable substances: its flight
is very lofty and powerful. There are various species.

The Glossy Ibis (Zéis falcinellus) is about two feet in
length. The neck, breast, upper part of the back, and
under parts of the body, are of a bright chestnut colour ; the
wing-coverts, tail, and remainder of the back, of a dusky
green, glossed with purple and bronze. This species is seen
in flocks of thirty or forty, on the banks of streams in Asia,
where they build, migrating periodically to Egypt, and
visiting Hungary, Turkey, Greece, and, very rarely, Switzer-
land, Holland and England.