THE CURASSOW. 



An- interesting race of birds, known as the ground, while roosting and building 

 the Curassows, has its range throughout their nests on the branches of trees." The 

 that part of South America, east of the nests are large and made of twigs and 

 Andes 1 Mountain range and north of willowy branches held in place by the 

 Paraguay. All the species are confined stems of grasses, which are neatly inter- 

 to this region except one, which is found woven between them. The nest is lined 

 in Central America and Mexico. This is with down, feathers and leaves, 

 the bird of our illustration (Crax globi- It is said that they are easily domesti- 

 cera). cated and that in some parts of South 



The Curassows belong to the order of America they may be found in tame 

 Gallinaceous birds and bear the same re- flocks around the homes of the planters, 

 lation to South America that the pheas- One authority states that at about the be- 

 ants and grouse bear to the Old ginning of the present century a large 

 World. They are in every respect the number of Curassows were taken from 

 most important and the most perfect Dutch Guiana to Holland, where they be- 

 game birds of the district which they in- came thoroughly domesticated, breeding 

 habit. In all there are twelve species as readily as any other kind of domestic 

 placed under four genera. As the hind poultry. Though a tropical bird, it would 

 toes of the feet are placed on a level with seem that they might be acclimatized, 

 the others they resemble the pigeon and They would certainly form a valuable ad- 

 are unlike many of the other gallinaceous dition to the list of our farm fowls, for 

 birds. their flesh is said to be "exceedingly white 



The Curassows are very large and and delicate." 



rather heavy birds and some of them are The female is not as large as the male 



larger than our turkey. They have short and is usually reddish in color. Their 



wings and a strong bill. At the base of food consists almost entirely of fruit and 



the upper mandible and on the upper side insects. 



there is a large tubercle-like excrescence About the middle of the eighteenth cen- 

 which is of a yellow color and quite hard, tury Eleazar Albin wrote "A Natural 

 Upon the head there is a gracefully History of Birds," in which he gives a 

 arched crest of feathers which is made of very interesting account of the Curassow 

 curled feathers, the tips of which are and an excellent illustration of the bird, 

 white in some of the species. This crest He says : "I took a pourtray of this bird 

 can be lowered or raised at the will of the at Chelmsford in- Essex ; it was very tame 

 bird. The plumage of the species illus- and sociable, eating and drinking with 

 trated is a beautiful and velvety black, ex- any company. The Cock I had of a man 

 cept the white on the lower portion of the from the West Indies. They are gen- 

 body. It is said that their motions are erally brought from Carasow, from 

 much more graceful than are those of our whence they take their Name. They are 

 common domestic turkey. "They live in called by the Indians Tecuecholi, Mouii- 

 small flocks, and are arboreal in their tain-Bird or American Pheasant." 

 habits, only occasionally descending to 



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