Tlie Hoatzin. 33 



the wings, and by aid of this, it can move about from 

 branch to branch on the trees, thus protecting itself 

 from many dangers. Mr. J. B. Quelch, curator of 

 the British Guiana Museum, gave a very full and in- 

 teresting account of this strange bird in the Ibis for 

 1890, (pp. 327-334), and Mr. Beddard had already 

 dealt with its anatomical structure in the same maga- 

 zine for 1889, (pp. 283-289.) 



Mr. Beddard elsewhere says, " There is a curious 

 bird found in British Guiana, which is known as the 

 hoatzin. In the very young nestlings of the hoatzin 

 the claws of the fingers are so conspicuous that they 

 are actually used by the callow chick to climb with, 

 before the feathers of the wings are grown sufficiently 

 to enable them to use their wings in the proper way 

 in which a bird should." ■'' 



Mr. Lucas' study of the wing of the young hoatzin 

 in the Smithsonian report 1893, is a most able and 

 interesting document. He writes : 



" The wing is hooked on the points or thumbs, 

 and by these soon after it is hatched, it can hold on 

 to twigs, etc. Not the least of the many interesting 

 features of the hoatzin is the rapid change which 

 takes place in the fore limb during the growth of the 

 bird, by which the hand of the nestling, with its well- 

 developed, well-clawed fingers becomes the clawless 

 wing of the old bird with its abortive outer finger." 



Other cases might be cited further to show that, in 

 exceptional instances very young birds are gifted with 

 extraordinary powers to enable them to fulfil certain 



* Mr. Beddard shows both the wing of young Hoatzin {Opistho- 

 comus) and aduh wing with claws aborted in Mr. Hudson's 

 British Birds, pp. 15 and 17. 



