20 



Wonders of the Bird World 



Peru. Here it lives entirely by the side of the water, being 

 apparently nowhere a rare bird in these South American 

 countries, though, owing to the disagreeable smell which 

 emanates from it, it is known in some places as the "Stink 

 Bird " and is nowhere captured as an article of food. It 

 builds a nest of sticks on the thin branches overhanging 

 the water, and the eggs are not white as in the case of 

 the Curassows, but are of a creamy-buff colour with dark 



Embryo of Hoatzin. After Pycraft. 



spots, and closely resemble those of the Rallidce or Family 

 of Rails. The bird has also other Ralline properties, for 

 it is also able to swim well, while the young, if forced to 

 take to the water, both dive and swim as to the manner 

 born. 



The Hoatzin is often spoken of as a " reptilian " bird, as 

 it exhibits certain characters which are certainly reptilian. 

 Even the unfledged embryo shows claws on the pollex and 

 index digits of the wing, but these are much more strongly 

 developed in the full-grown nestling, which is covered with 



