212 ALLEN S NATURALISTS LIBRARY. 



Urax uruinutuin, Burmeister, Syst. Uebers. iii. p. 347 (1856). 



Nothocrax iirumiihim^ Burmeister, Syst. Uebers. iii. p. 347 

 (1856) ; Sclater, Trans. Z. S. ix. p 282, pi. 50; x. p. 545, 

 pi. xciv. (1879); Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxii. 

 p. 484 (1893). 



Adult Male.— Crest black ; feathered parts of head, throat, 

 neck, and chest chestnut, shading into brownish chestnut on 

 the upper-parts, and all finely mottled with black ; breast and 

 rest of under-parts cinnamon, with some dusky mottling on the 

 sides ; outer webs of the secondary quills mottled with rufous- 

 buff ; tail black, tipped with whitish-buff. Naked space round 

 eye yellow above, purplish below; bill scarlet; legs flesh- 

 colour. Total length, 24 inches ; wing, 11*5; tail, 9; tarsus, 

 3*5 ; middle toe and claw, 2-9. 



Adult Female. — Differs from the male in having the upper- 

 parts and middle tail-feathers more coarsely mottled with pale 

 rufous-buff on a darker ground ; and the chest, breast, and 

 sides clouded with dusky. Size smaller; wing, 10*5 inches. 



Range. — British Guiana, Rio Negro, and Upper Amazons to 

 Rio Pastaza and Sarayacu in Ecuador. 



Habits. — According to Natterer, this bird lives during the 

 day in hollow trees or the thickest part of the woods, and is 

 very seldom met with by sportsmen ; but when found it 

 behaves with extreme stupidity, and is caught by the Indians 

 with a loop fastened to the end of a pole. It searches for food 

 during the night, and its cry is heard before midnight and day- 

 break. The Indians light torches, and follow the cry till they 

 are near the bird, when they extinguish the light, and wait for 

 daybreak to kill it. 



Mr. E. Bartlett writes: — "I first saw this beautiful species of 

 Curassow in a Peruvian's house, at Santa Maria on the Huallaga, 

 where it was running about along with the common fowls. The 

 bird appeared to be lively and active, and would fight the dogs 

 and fowls, driving them out of the house. A very curious cir- 



