28 Mr. R. I. Pocock,


•chickens on account of the vigour with which he assaulted the

keeper *


When six weeks old the chickens were about the size of

Partridges, but looked larger on account of the great develop¬

ment of the long feathers of the wings and tail. The crest was

showing like a little top-knot on the head. The general colour

of the wing feathers was black clouded with brown and speckled

and vermiculated with white; the white, by the way, being more

abundant in one specimen than in the other. The latter will

probably prove to be the cock bird. The back and the head,

apart from the incipient crest, still retained the down. Along the

■spine extended a rather broad black-edged brown stripe set off

on each side by a dirty white stripe, which was itself bordered

externally by a much thinner blackish brown stripe.


At the time of writing (October 20th) the chicks, although

over ten weeks old and of considerable size, still take food from

their mother’s beak, but they peck of their own accord as well.

The larger of the two is as big as a Pheasant, and resembles

almost exactly the hen of the Globose Curassow, except that the

feathers of the well-developed crest are black, with a small

white spot at the bottom of each. The other, which is a much

■smaller and altogether more backward bird, takes after its mother

11 colour but has a good deal less white about the head, neck,

and wings, and practically none on the interscapular area of the

back. This bird appears to be delicate and mopish and less

likely to thrive than its twin.


Special attention may be drawn to the following facts con¬

nected with the nesting habits of Heck’s Curassow :—


1 The nest is built in a tree, and consists of twigs.


.2 The hen does not build it but leaves this task to the cock.


3 The latter takes 110 share in incubation, nor so far as is known

in brooding or feeding the chicks. After making the nest

his part in domestic affairs appears to be restricted to the

expulsion of intruders.



* For the details above given of the mode of life of these Curassows during- the three

weeks subsequent to the hatching of the eggs, I am indebted to the Society’s Pheasant

keeper, Angus Macdonald, who had charge of the birds. I was away from I.ondon at that

time, but I place complete reliance upon the trustworthiness of his records, and upon the

•dates with which he furnished me.



