The Scarlet Ibis

By James Hurst

Scarlet Ibis (Seaworld.org)• An exotic red bird• Solid scarlet except for black wing tips; bill is

long, thin and curved downward; neck is long and slender; legs are also long and thin with partially webbed feet; juveniles are dull, grayish brown

• Habitat: Tropical regions and rainforests• Range: Central America and Northern South

America from Venezuela to Brazil• Diet: fruit, seeds, insects, fish, meat

Scarlet Ibis

Caul•Noun•Membrane, layer of tissue

on a baby’s head at birth. Thought to be good luck

Caul

Some babies are born with caul which is a membrane covering its head. It’s referred to as “born in the caul.”

Careen• Verb• To move from side to side in an

uncontrolled manner

Careen

The pig pong ball careens across the table.

Serene•Adjective•Calm

Serene

Infallibility•Noun •Not capable of error

Infallibility• His infallibility swimming the

butterfly caused him to win gold.

Blighted•Adjective•A plant disease

Blighted

Evanesced•Verb•Vanished

Evanesced

Doggedness•Noun• Stubborn persistence

Doggedness

Reiterate•Verb• To say over and over again

Reiterate

Precariously•Adverb• Insecurely; based on

unproved statements or conclusions

Precariously• The girl sitting at my lunch

table precariously announced it was going to snow this afternoon; we walked outside after school, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

Clove•Noun• Separation or split

between two things

Clove

Rank•Adjective•Growing in vigorous, wild

abundance

Rank

Vermilion•Noun/Adjective•Bright red

Vermillion

Prim•Adjective•Neat and trim

Prim

Iridescent•Adjective•Rainbow-like

Iridescent

Solder•Verb• to bond or repair

Solder

Vortex•Noun• Something that draws

everything to its center like a whirlpool

Vortex

Naught•Noun•Nothing

Naught

Heresy•Noun•Controversial belief

Heresy •Many consider Darwin’s

theories heresy since it caused a huge divide between science and religion.

Flashback• Noun• Literary device where an

earlier episode or memory is inserted into the sequence of a storyline.

Allusion• Noun• Literary reference in a work to

another piece of literature, music, art, history, or Biblical incidence.