285



THE


Hvucultural flfoagasme,


BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE


AVICU LTURAL SOCIETY.



New Series. —VOL. II. — IMO. 10 .—All rights reserved. AUGUST, 1904.



ON THE BREEDING IN CAPTIVITY OF THE

TATAUPA TINAMOU (Cryphints tataupa).


By D. Seth-Smith, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.


The remarkable groups of Neotropical birds known as

Tinamous, and constituting the order Crypturi are not very well

known to aviculturists, with the exception of perhaps one or two

of the commoner species, but they are such interesting and

curious birds as to be very well worth special attention. In size

they vary from that of a good-sized fowl to that of a Quail, and,

though somewhat resembling the Gallincz in outward appearance,

they are, in reality, widely different from these, both in structure

and habits, and show considerable affinity to the Ratitcc.


The common Rufous Tinamou, Rhynchotus rufesce?is, is well

known to most people, and has frequently bred in this country,

both in aviaries and at liberty, and the late Mr. Bartlett has

written an interesting paper on the nesting of this species at the

Zoo. ( Proc . Zool. Sac., 1868, p. 115). The smaller species are

however little known in this country, being very seldom

imported ; and I was very glad, last autumn, to have an oppor¬

tunity of securing a pair of the small Crypturus tataupa, from

Brazil, a species about the size of a Californian Quail, which has

not been represented in the London Zoological Gardens for more

than twenty years.


Azara wrote an interesting account of the habits of the

Tataupa as long ago as 1805 : He tells us that it is often found



