ECOLOGY OF THE HOATZIN BEEBE. 529 



little can be said as to the remainder of the quotation, which I offer 

 merely from the interest attaching to very early accounts. 



As in the above instance, the inaccuracies of the pioneer ornitho- 

 logist Hernandez have been repeated, and, indeed, enlarged upon by 

 succeeding authors. Thus Latham (26) 23 years later informs us 

 that the " Crested pheasant " inhabits — 



Mexico and parts adjacent, where it feeds on snakes; makes a howling kind 

 of noise, and is found in trees near rivers ; is accounted an unlucky bird. Met 

 with chiefly in the autumn, and is said to pronounce a sound not unlike the 

 word " Hoactzin." We learn from others that it may be domesticated, and is 

 seen in that state among the natives ; and further that it feeds on ants, worms, 

 and other insects, as well as snakes. 



In 1819, about 60 years after Brisson's account, Stephens (47) 

 vouchsafes the following information concerning the " Hoatzin 

 serpent eater " : 



It inhabits Guiana, and is found on trees near rivers; its food consists of 

 grains and seeds; it will also eat insects and serpents; it has a howling, dis- 

 agreeable note; its flesh has a very disagreeable smell (probably caused by 

 the quality of its food) and. is consequently not eaten, but is used by the 

 fishermen to catch certain fishes. 



Even the writings of recent observers on the spot, with every op- 

 portunity for good observation, are in some instances totally mislead- 

 ing. For example, Penard (34) tells us that hoatzins run rapidly on 

 the ground, swim well, and " leven in groote troepen van honderden 

 individuen." 



NAME. 



Miiller (28) called the bird Phasianus hoazin, and although it was 

 soon removed from that genus, his specific name still stands accepted. 

 The name hoatzin, hoazin, or hoactzin, as it is variously spelled, re- 

 fers to Hernandez's (22) account, of which Buffon (13) says: 



Its voice is very strong, and it is less a cry than a howl. It is said that it 

 pronounces its name (hoatzin) apparently in a sad and mournful tone. It is 

 no longer necessary to make it pass with the common people for a bird of ill 

 omen ; and since everywhere a great deal of power is assigned to that which is 

 feared, the same people have thought to find in it remedies for the gravest 

 maladies. But it is not said that they feed themselves on it. They abstain 

 from it in fact, perhaps as a result of the same fear, or because of a repugnance 

 founded on the fact that it makes its ordinary food of serpents. It stays usu- 

 ally in the great forests, perched on the trees along the water, for watching and 

 surprising these reptiles. It is found in the hottest parts of Mexico. Hernan- 

 dez adds that it appears in autumn, so that it is a migratory bird. Mr. Aublet 

 assures me that these birds become tame ; that they are sometimes seen in cap- 

 tivity in the houses of the Indians; and that Francois called them peafowl. 

 They feed their young on ants, worms, and other insects. 



Much of the charm of this wholly inaccurate and altogether 

 delightful account is lost in the translation from Buffon's native 

 tongue. 



97578°— sm 1910 34 



