﻿694 CURASSOW, 



The gibbofity, which is more or lefs feen at the bafe of the 

 tipper mandible, has been flightly pafled over in the above-men- 

 tioned defcriptions j but it feems to vary fo exceedingly in all the 

 fpecimens that I have feen, that I am inclined to think, with 

 Edwards, that the larger gibbofity is the efFecl of age, and that 

 it is always proportionabiy fmaller in the females than the males; 

 and in the laft, when young, it is very little elevated : the bare 

 fpace round the eyes alfo varies much ; in fome birds it is totally 

 bare of feathers, and of the fame colour as the bill ; in others 

 ftill bare, but black ; and in many individuals well covered with 

 fhort feathers. 

 Tlace and Thefe birds are natives of Mexico and Peru, and in the ftate 



Manners. q c nature are perhaps of fuch colours as the male and female firft 

 defcribed ; but as they foon become familiar, they are kept in all 

 the warmer parts of America and the Weft India iflands as we do 

 Turkies in England ■, and in courfe, like them, fubjedl to infinite 

 varieties. In the wild ftate they frequent mountainous places, and 

 are fo exceedingly tame as to fuffer themfelves to be fhot at 

 feveral times without offering to efcape. They feed on fruits, 

 and perch of nights on trees : the flelh is white, and efteemed 

 very good food. 



They are frequently kept tame in our menageries in England, 

 and readily mix with other poultry, feeding on bread and grain ; 

 but this climate is not near warm enough for their nature, not 

 being able to bear the dampnefs of the grafs of our meadows, 

 which renders them fubjecT: to have their toes rot off. They 

 will often live in this ftate fome time ; and in one inftance which 

 we faw, the whole of one foot was gone, and but part of one toe 

 Jeft on the other, before the creature died. 



id Crax 



