. Natural history. Zoology. THE CURASSOW—THE GROUSE. 229 fully feathered and able to fly well, he was convinced that it had never seen daylight. The curassows form the second sub-order of Professor Huxley's Peristero- podes, and like the megapodes have the hind-toe not elevated, but on the same level as the other toes. They have also a tufted oil-gland, and their whole appearance is more like that of the pheasants and "^^^ Curassows. true Game-Birds, and quite different from that of the mega- Sub-Order pedes. The wind-pipe is long and convoluted. They like- Oraces. wise nest in trees and
. Natural history. Zoology. THE CURASSOW—THE GROUSE. 229 fully feathered and able to fly well, he was convinced that it had never seen daylight. The curassows form the second sub-order of Professor Huxley's Peristero- podes, and like the megapodes have the hind-toe not elevated, but on the same level as the other toes. They have also a tufted oil-gland, and their whole appearance is more like that of the pheasants and "^^^ Curassows. true Game-Birds, and quite different from that of the mega- Sub-Order pedes. The wind-pipe is long and convoluted. They like- Oraces. wise nest in trees and lay two white eggs, and the nestlings have a patterned downy stage, like that of true Game-Birds. Mr. Ogilvie-Grant, who has made a special study of all the Gallinaceous Birds, recognises eleven genera of curassows, and he divides them into two sections, the true curas- sows with a very deep bill, and the guans with a more elongated and widened bill, the upper mandible being broader than it is high. Very little has been recorded of the habits of the curas- sows in their wild state, but they are often to be seen in menageries, where they walk about like great turkeys, or sit on the branches of the trees provided for them. One of the most curious of the curassows is Lord Derby's guan {Oreophasis ), or the Derbyan mountain-pheasant, as it is also called. It has the top of the head almost bare, and an elevated kind of cylindrical casque on the crown, situated between the eyes. This remarkable bird is found only in Guatemala, where it is apparently restricted to the forests on the "Volcan de Fuego. Here Mr. Osbert Salvin found it feeding on fruits in the higlier branches of the forest-trees in the early morning, and descending to the underwood as day advances, remaining there all the day-time, basking or scratching among the leaves. This, says Mr. Salvin, is pretty much what the curassows and guans of the lowlands do. The Indian name for the mountain- guan is "
Size: 1245px × 2006px
Photo credit: © The Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorly, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectzoology
