. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. From Figures i and 3 it can be seen that '/*. aethiopica and T. molucca (much melanin in the wing tips; ornamental plumes from the secondaries much broken and very glossy) resemble each other more closely in adult plumage than either of them resembles T. melanocephala (no melanin in wing tips; display plumes light grey, with hardly any gloss). The main differences between the adults of T. aethiopica and T. Molucca are that T. molucca is alone in possessing a small patch of yellow tubercles on the crown and a tuft of elongated feathers at the base
. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. From Figures i and 3 it can be seen that '/*. aethiopica and T. molucca (much melanin in the wing tips; ornamental plumes from the secondaries much broken and very glossy) resemble each other more closely in adult plumage than either of them resembles T. melanocephala (no melanin in wing tips; display plumes light grey, with hardly any gloss). The main differences between the adults of T. aethiopica and T. Molucca are that T. molucca is alone in possessing a small patch of yellow tubercles on the crown and a tuft of elongated feathers at the base of the neck. However, the juvenile plumages of T. molucca and T. melanocephala are more similar to each other than either is to that of T. 1 i, 2. Distribution of Threskiornis aethiopica (A), T. melanocephala (B), T. molucca (("), and Carpbibis spinicollis (D). T. aetbiopica bernieri has less black on the wing tips than the nominate form and duller display plumes from the innermost secondaries; eye light blue, not brown; Madagascar. T. aetbiopica abbotti has little or no black in the wing tips and duller display plumes than in T. a. bernieri; eye nearly white, not brown; Aldabra. T. molucca pygmaea is considerably smaller than the nominate race, often with duller displa] plumes; Rennel Island, Solomons. T. molucca strictipermis differs from adults of the nominate race mainly in baying the shafts of the secondary wing feathers black, not white; Australia. The evolution of these three forms can probably be best explained in one of two, or three ways. The original form probably resembled /. aethiopica and T. molucca and inhabited either the Asian mainland, Africa, or both and the intervening area. This basic form then spread cither to Australia by way of Asia from Africa (at a time when the Near Basl was less arid), or from mainland Asia to New Guinea and Australia, and separately to \frica. There is no evidence from the ibises to prefer either of these hyp
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