Cracin.e. 



gallin.t:. 



SUn-FAJULY J I. 



The Curassoics prop fir. 



Gkn. Charac. — Bill more or less long, and generally elevated at the base, the 

 culmen curved and the sides compressed to the tip, which is obtuse ; the 

 nostrils lateral and large, with the opening partly dosed by a membrane 

 crescent- shaped or rounded. 



,f 



h ^ 



Fig. 143. — the crested curassow. 

 {Crux cristutH.-<.) 



Tlie Curassows are large fowls resembling Turkey s^ 

 but having a ricli plumage of glossy blacky and bright 

 ]'ed beaks. Unlike all other Gallinaceous birds, they 

 reside habitually in the crowns of the lofty forest- 

 trees, where the males with their numerous partners 

 move about hidden in the foliage. These flocks, 

 indeed, only betray their presence by uttering, now 

 and then, a long-drawn whistling note resembling a 

 sigh. Five distinct species of these magnificent 

 birds inhabit the forests of the Amazon, where they 



