134 CLASS AVES. 



of moderate size. The thumb is shorter than the internal toe, 

 but its claw is longer than all the others. 



The tuft of this bird is composed of narrow feathers, 

 red about half way from their origin, and black for the rest ; 

 they descend backward as far as the middle of the neck. The 

 bird, when affected with lively sensations, can stiffen them, but 

 they then assume a horizontal, not a perpendicular position ; 

 under the same circumstances, the tail widens, and assumes a 

 fan-like form. The general port of this bird is that of the 

 peacock, and its size is the same ; though the tints of the 

 plumage are a little sombre, their effect as a whole is agree- 

 able. For the colours in general, we refer to the text. The 

 feet and toes are red ; and the claws black. 



Sonnini declares, that these birds are but few in number 

 in the districts of Guiana over which he has travelled. He 

 has met them sometimes in pairs, sometimes in small flocks, 

 of six or eight at most, but never in the deep woods, nor in 

 elevated situations ; the inundated savannahs are the places 

 which they prefer, because they feed on the berries of a very 

 large species of arum, which the Guianese call moucou- 

 moucou, and which is the arum arbor escens of Linnaeus and 

 Aublet ; as they cannot take this kind of aliment, but when 

 perched, they never go to the ground, and during a portion 

 of the day they remain tranquil on some bough at the edge 

 of the waters. They will easily suffer themselves to be 

 approached, which is probably owing to their being seldom 

 hunted, in consequence of the remoteness of the places which 

 they inhabit. The odour too of castoreum, which their flesh 

 exhales, renders it uneatable ; it will only serve for the pur- 

 pose of baiting fish, and is especially employed for that 

 species called mugil maximus. 



It is quite evident from the foregoing observations, that the 

 opisthocomus of Hoffmansegg and Cuvier, is not the second 

 bird hoactziriy described by Fernandez ; nor, from the slight 



