Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/732

 708 WOOD ENGRAVING WOOD IBIS as the feathers. The principal characters of the plumage are : head and crest metallic green, glossed on the sides with purple ; line from upper corner of bill, one behind eyes, two bars on side of head meeting under the chin, and upper throat white ; lower neck and sides of tail purple, the former with triangular spots of white; lower parts white; sides yellowish banded with black and posteriorly with white ; speculum bluish green, tipped with white ; pri- maries silver white externally at tip; back uniform, with bronzed and green reflections ; a white crescent in front of wings bordered with black ; scapulars and inner tertials velvet black with violet gloss ; in the female the back is more purplish, the sides of head and neck ashy, about the bill white, and lower neck brownish ; the eyes are red. It is 19 in. long, and 29 J in. in alar extent. It is distributed over North America as far as the British provinces, confined to fresh water, especially secluded ponds in woods; the flight is noiseless, very rapid, graceful, and as easy among the branches of trees as that of the wild pigeon ; flocks of 50 are often seen. It breeds from April to June, according to latitude, the nest being made in the hollow or broken portion of a tree, and usually in deep swamps; the eggs are 6 to 15, 2 by 1$ in., pale buff and greenish, smooth, and laid on dried plants and feathers; they are much attached to their breeding places, and the young run and swim as soon as hatched, feeding on aquatic insects, flies, and seeds; the adults are excellent divers, and feed on acorns, nuts, grapes, berries, rice, insects, snails, tadpoles, and small fry ; the flesh is best in autumn. The sense of hearing is very acute, rendering the bird rather shy. The chief enemies of the adults are minks, raccoons, and snakes, and many of the young are destroyed by snapping turtles, alligators, and predaceous fishes. The only other species is the famous mandarin duck of China (A. galericulata, Boie), which resem- bles tlio former, especially the females, with some of the quills enlarged and standing ver- tically when the wings are closed. WOOD E> GRAVING. See ENGRAVING. WOODFALL, William, an English journalist, born in London about 1745, died there, Aug. 1, 1803. He was the younger brother of Henry Sampson Woodfall, by whom the " Public Ad- vertiser " newspaper was conducted when the letters of Junius were published in it. Ho was bred a printer, became an actor for a short time, and was then editor in succession of the "London Packet," the "Morning Chronicle," and the " Diary," which last journal he estab- lished in 1789. In this paper he published daily long reports of the parliamentary pro- ceedings of the previous day. He himself sometimes wrote these reports from memory, and without aid from notes or from an amanu- ensis, to the extent of 16 columns of the paper. WOODFORD. I. A N. central county of Ken- tucky, bounded W. by the Kentucky river and N. E. by a branch of the South Elkhorn ; area, 185 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 8,240, of whom 3,825 were colored. The surface is diversified and the soil very fertile. It is traversed by the Louisville, Cincinnati, and Lexington railroad. The chief productions in 1870 were 98,968 bushels of wheat, 25,942 of rye, 516,625 of Indian corn, 79,888 of oats, 49,556 of barley, 21,503 Ibs. of wool, 69,700 of butter, 1,325 tons of hay, and 849 of hemp. There were 3,070 horses, 1,413 mules and asses, 1,903 milch cows, 3,072 other cattle, 4,417 sheep, and 9,585 swine ; 2 manufactories of bags, 1 of carriages and wagons, 2 of cooperage, 3 flour mills, and 8 distilleries. Capital, Versailles. II. A N. central county of Illinois, bounded W. by Illi- nois river ; area, about 500 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 18,956. The surface is generally level and the soil fertile. Coal is abundant. There is railroad communication with Chicago. The chief productions in 1870 were 286,446 bushels of wheat, 20,426 of rye, 2,154,185 of Indian corn, 744,581 of oats, 57,776 of barley, 87,994 of potatoes, 305,826 of butter, and 80,701 tons of hay. There were 9,002 horses, 6,300 milch oows, 10,805 other cattle, 1,331 sheep, and 43,642 swine; 10 manufactories of carriages and wagons, 9 of saddlery and harness, and 8 flour mills. Capital, Metamora. WOODHOISELEE, Lord. See TTTLER, ALEX- ANDER ERASER. WOOD IBIS (tantalus loculator, Linn.), a bird belonging, together with the white and glossy ibis (see IBIS), to the family tantalidas, Wood Ibis (Tantalus loculator). one of the grallatoret. The genus tantalus has the very long bill much thickened at the base and curved downward at the tip ; the nasal groove not continued beyond the nostrils, which are broad, pervious, and not surrounded by membrane ; the head and neck entirely bare, the skin of the latter transversely rugose ; the tibia more than half bare, and covered as well as the tarsus with hexagonal scales ; the toes connected at the base by a membrane, and