378 Letters, Extracts, Notices, ^c. 



barley and different small seeds. If I hear of their breeding 

 anywhere I will let you know. 



Yours &c., 



F. E. Blaauw. 



Notes on the Breeding of the Hoatzin. — The following ex- 

 tracts from a letter addressed to Sclatcr by Mr. Quelch, of 

 the British-Guiana Museum, Demerara, dated March 31st, 

 1888^ will be read with interest : — 



'' I have just been up to the Berbice River and the Canje 

 Creek after the Hoatzin. From information given to me I 

 had ascertained that the birds were laying, but that they had 

 only just begun. When I went up myself and examined the 

 district, I found a considerable number of nests in process of 

 being built, a number of nests with one, others with two, 

 and a few with three eggs. Two eggs seem to be the usual 

 complement ; in fact, I was told they never laid more than two 

 eggs at one nesting, but in a few nests there were certainly 

 three eggs. In not a single nest did I find any young ones, 

 nor did I see any birds about which, from their smaller size, 

 aj)peared to have been lately hatched. I brought down with 

 me a considerable number of eggs, some quite fresh, and 

 others, so far as I can judge from the appearance of the 

 eggs, in different stages of incubation ; and in this respect 

 the conduct of the birds Avhen driven off the nest seemed 

 to me conclusive. The incubated eggs (sixteen) I have j)ut 

 into spirit, forty over proof, and will change soon into fresh 

 spirit. The fresh eggs I am trying to get a lien to hatch 

 out, but I do not know yet whether I shall succeed. 



" I am going to wait for another three weeks or so, and 

 then I shall go up and take my zinc pans for the big birds 

 and what chickens and incubated eggs I can find. I am 

 afraid the birds will have to be shot. There is no way of 

 catching them otherwise. They are fairly plentiful along 

 the Canje Creek and the Berbice River ; but there is gene- 

 rally great difficulty in getting close to them, and always so 

 in regard to the nests. These they make among a vei'y 

 prickly, spreading, decumbent sort of shrub or small tree. 



