Birds of 

 Other Lands 



BY VV. P. PVCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S. 



?hM t) ;f. r. Dinio, F.z.s. 



RUFOUS TINAMOU, BRAZIL 



The tail-feathers of these birds are so smail as to appear to be ivanting 



CHAPTER I 



THE OSTRICH JXD TfS 

 KINDRED 



THE Ostriches are a very an- 

 cient group of birds, and, judg- 

 ing from what we know of their 

 anatomy, they must be regarded as 

 representing the most primitive of liv- 

 ing birds. With the exception of a 

 single group, to be discussed presentl)', 

 all have lost the power of flight. In 

 some, in consequence, the wing has be- 

 come reduced to a mere vestige. It is a rule in Nature, we may remark, that whenever an 

 organ, such as a wing or a leg or a tail, ceases to be useful, it undergoes forthwith a slow process 



of reduction or degeneration, growing smaller and 

 ! ^ smaller in each successive generation, till at last it 



-i , -..t.-r-^ Si^ . .^9 ^ "^^>' "^ven disappear altogether. The loss of flight 



has been accompanied by a degeneration in the 

 quality of the feathers — that is to say, their service- 

 ability as aids to flight has been entirely lost. 



The size of the members of this group varies 

 much. The largest of all is the African Ostrich ; 

 the smallest, of the flightless forms, the New Zealand 

 Apteryx. The ostrich-like birds which have retained 

 the power of flight are known as Tinamous, and are 

 natives of South America. All these are smaller 

 than the flightless Apteryx. 



TlX.VMOUS 



The TiNAMOU-S should perhaps be regarded as 



standing at the head of the Ostrich Tribe, since they 



have reached a higher degree of development than 



any other of its members. They have also preserved 



the power of flight. In their general appearance 



n,„b,H.KM,,E,,. jj^py ^^^^ 3 singular resemblance to partridges, 



RHEA AND YOUNG though a little careful observation will reveal many 



-,,,,. e L L I 1 r points wherein they dift'er therefrom. They are very 



Altnougn the ivings oj the rnea are large, thef fit io ^ ^ ^ -^ _ _ ^ -' 



cidiciy 10 the body as to he in-visible -when dosed Confiding and uususpicious birds — somc pcrsous call 



