CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 359 
were found there May 25th and eggs June nth. From the 15th to 
the 25th of June the laying season at Caicara was at its height and 
the river was rapidly nearing high water mark. 
Basing my conclusions on the condition of the ovaries in the 
birds taken at Bolivar, early in April, I returned to that locality the 
first week in July, expecting to find young Hoatzin. What was my 
surprise to find the Bolivar birds nest building — no young; and only 
one set of eggs taken July 4th. The colony that I had been observing 
at Bolivar made their home in the thick tangle of tree tops bordering 
a small lake which occupies a natural basin in an extensive area of 
low land separated from the river by high rocky embankments. The 
rapidly rising waters of the Orinoco did not break over this embank- 
ment until June 20th. The Hoatzin apparently had not commence'1 
serious nesting until after that date! Did they deliberately await the 
rising of the water? 
The nest of the Hoatzin is a slight platform of dead twigs, 
loosely put together, out towards the tips of long slender branches, 
and frequently with but very frail support. Sometimes the nests are 
almost concealed by surrounding leaves, again they are placed in dead 
or leafless trees where surrounding foliage does not offer any con- 
cealment. If the nest is high enough the eggs usually can be seen 
from below through the nest walls. 
The young Hoatzin is almost naked at birth and a shin}- jet 
black, with olive wash, in color. Within a day or two their eyes 
are wide open and if a nest be approached without extreme caution 
it will be found empty. But a little quiet patience will probably: 
reward the collector — at the end of a few minutes the young will be 
seen making their way from out of the water, into which they had 
deliberately dropped : along and over the limbs back to the nest. 
Their locomotion at this time is effected by the aid of the bill, the feet. 
and the claws that in the young are found on the end of the thumbs 
and index fingers. 
In a series of thirteen sets of eggs, a considerable variation in 
size, shape, and markings is noticeable. The general shape is ovate, 
varying from a rather long ovate to short ovate, and occasionally 
there is an approach toward the oval. ( The two eggs of set No. 
13898 Cherrie Collection are almost perfectly oval). The general 
color is a pinkish cream color, varying considerably in shade in the 
various sets, the markings consist of dots, spots and splashes, scat- 
