I22 THE ODYSSEY OF AN ANIMAL COLLECTOR 
that under favorable circumstances hoatzins can be kept in cap- 
tivity and even transported long distances. In these days of air 
travel the project would not be at all difficult provided the birds 
were treated correctly and accustomed to artificial food before 
shipment. 
During the months that I kept hoatzins in British Guiana I 
was able to learn a lot about their habits. One of the most peculiar, 
for diurnal perching birds, was their habit of becoming active on 
bright moonlit nights. On such occasions they flew about a 
good deal and I often observed them feeding from their trough. 
During the day they spent much of their time on the ground, 
which is contrary to their recorded behavior at large. Another 
interesting thing about them was their almost entire absence of 
smell in captivity. This might be explained by the different diet, 
though much of the time they were fed on caladium leaves. I 
cannot say if it is possible for the odor to emanate from the oil 
duct, which may cease to function normally when the bird leads 
an unnatural existence. 
