THE GUANS. 243 
Ortalis in front of my house; one of them, losing its presence 
of mind, rushed into my room and perched on a plank, but 
managed to make its escape through a hole in the wall. 
“Their cry, which is uttered in the morning and afternoon, 
may be heard at a considerable distance, each pair in turn 
uttering an inharmonious duet. When calling they sit perched 
on the larger branches close to one another, and whilst one, 
probably the male, repeats the Aou-dou-gou, his mate adds after 
the two first syllables d-ra-cou, which together make up the 
word hou-dou-d-ra-cou, of which the middle a is the highest 
and most accentuated note. Throughout the greater part of 
its range in South America it is known by the same name with 
slight variations ; whilst in the district of Ayacucha it is called 
* manakaraku,” and in the Amazon district ‘ uataraku.” 
“‘TIn addition to its alarm-note during the nesting-season, I 
can mention three others. ‘The first may be expressed by the 
syllable ‘kyt.? A second, rarely heard, and which is best ex- 
pressed by the word ‘ piou,’ is an expression of surprise given 
vent to as the bird flies up. The third is a piercing cry of 
despair ; one day I heard a bird crying in this way during a 
whole afternoon. 
“The following details, which require confirmation, were 
supplied me by the natives. 
“Several females make one nest in common, for twelve to 
fourteen eggs are to be found in it, and I have only once seen 
a female with two chicks. The eggs are white. The nest is 
placed on the ground, and the natives declare that by remov- 
ing most of the eggs and only leaving one or two the Ortalids 
can be induced to go on laying, but I think this is extremely 
doubtful.. It is said that the male will cross with domestic 
poultry. It is certain that March and April are the nesting- 
season. 
“When walking along horizontal branches, these birds place 
their feet with the toes turning inwards, like other Penelopes 
and Pigeons. ‘The flight is heavy and short.” 
Rae 
