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IV. On the Curassows now or lately living in the Society's Gardens. By P. L. Sclater, 

 M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S., Secretary to the Society. 



Eead June 17th, 1873. 



[Plates XL.-LIII.] 



IN the 'Proceedings' of the Society for 1870 (p. 504 et seqq.) Mr. Salvin and I gave 

 a synopsis of the species of the Gallinaceous family Cracidse, so far as they were then 

 known to us. 



The various species of Curassows {Crax of Linnaeus), which constitute the first sub- 

 family Cracinw according to the arrangement there adopted, are many of them very 

 common birds in captivity. Specimens are to be seen in every collection of living birds ; 

 and this Society has from time to time possessed examples of nearly all the known 

 species. In spite of their being so common, however, the Curassows are by no means 

 well understood, and there has been great confusion among the different species. This 

 has arisen, not only from the general similarity of some of the nearly allied species, but 

 even more from the fact that in some of the species the two sexes are nearly alike 

 in colour, whereas in other species nearly allied they are quite different. It has thus 

 come to pass that it is rare to find these fine birds correctly determined, either in living' 

 collections or in museums, and that it is by no means uncommon to see the sexes of 

 two different species associated together as male and female. 



With the view of diminishing this confusion as far as possible, and of rendering the de- 

 termination of the species of Crax and their sexes more easy, I have had from time to 

 time, during the last three years, figures taken of the specimens living in the Society's 

 gardens. With the addition of a few other figures from examples in the British 

 Museum and in other collections, there has thus been formed a complete series of 

 illustrations of all the certainly known species of the subfamily, together with one 

 still imperfectly known, the publication of which will, I trust, make the somewhat 

 obscure subject much better understood than heretofore. 



The following synonymy of the species, and remarks upon their history, distribution, 

 and other points, are mainly taken from the article by myself and Mr. Salvin above 

 spoken of, such changes only having been introduced and such additions made as various 

 opportunities of examining living and dead specimens of Curassows during the past 

 three years have afforded me. 



VOL. IX. — FART IV. July, 1875 2 p 



