CRESTED CURASSOW. 



165 



by Temminck : it has the beak horn-coloured : 

 the temples naked : the feathers of the crest of a 

 pure white at their base, and black at their tips : 

 the head, the neck, the breast, and the upper part 

 of the back, are of a dull black : the shoulders, the 

 wings, the quills, and the upper tail-coverts are 

 alternately barred with black and reddish white : 

 the tail-feathers are black, with distant yellowish 

 white bands, the whole being tipped with this 

 colour: the whole of the under parts, from the 

 breast to the under tail-coverts, are of a reddish 

 yellow, without spots. 



These beautiful birds inhabit Guiana, Mexico, 

 Brasil, and Paraguay : they are easily tamed, and 

 will readily associate with other fowls : they are 

 tolerably plentiful, and make a considerable part 

 of the food of the planters, their flesh being 

 excellent, and the Indian hunters take them in 

 great quantities, as they are so tame that they 

 will scarcely fly away when several of the flock are 

 shot, the noise of the gun not in the least alarming 

 them : they associate in flocks of about a dozen, 

 and roost on high trees during the night: their 

 food consists entirely of maize, rice, bananas, 

 and other sorts of fruits : the egg is about the size 

 of that of the Turkey ; it is of a pure white, like 

 that of the common poultry. 



