Habits of the Hoatzin. 331 



habitat they are little liable to be interfered with or pursued, 

 and, if troubled, they can easily take refuge without prolonged 

 nights. Even by man they are seldom meddled with, except 

 for scientific purposes, since a peculiar and unpleasant odour 

 attaches to the flesh, especially after death, and which seems 

 to be clue to the penetration of the fluid and gaseous con- 

 tents of the digestive tract. On this account they are not 

 generally eaten ; but a few cases have been reported to me 

 in which they have been utilized for food. 



The nesting-time of the birds certainly extends from 

 December to July, and I think it very likely that it is 

 continuous throughout the year. From information given 

 to me in 1887, 1 was led to conclude that March and April 

 were their nesting-months j but as the result of my own 

 observation, chicks are to be found quite early in January, 

 and freshly- laid eggs in the early part of July, as well as 

 the intervening months. 



The nests, which are made solely of a slightly concave 

 mass of dried twigs and sticks taken from the plants on 

 which they are built, and loosely laid on top and across each 

 other, are placed in conspicuous positions high up over the 

 water or soft mud, on the top of or amongst the bushy 

 growth, where they are fully exposed to the direct sunshine. 

 Almost invariably the plants thus built on were the close- 

 growing " Bundoorie pimpler/' though in a few cases I have 

 seen them on the courida, and on a " pimpler (or prickly) 

 palm " (Bactris major). 



In October 1888, along the Abary creek, when nearly for 

 a fortnight the birds were under observation at frequent 

 intervals, no nests nor young birds were noticed, but as the 

 Bundoorie pimpler was almost entirely absent, and the lining 

 growth along the water-side consisted of mucco-mucco and 

 other plants, on the top of which it was impossible for the 

 birds to perch, and much more so to make nests, it may well 

 be that they were even then nesting, but in such positions 

 as to be screened from observation. Believing at that time 

 that the birds only nested from March to May, I made no 

 special attempts to search for nests ; nor have I yet had an 



