348 GALLINiE. 



ORDEK lY. 



Gallinje. 



The Gallinaceous birds are all terrestrial. They 

 have a short or moderately long beak, which is 

 vaulted above. Their body is heavy, and their wings 

 generally short. They all live upon grain, and are 

 furnished with a strong muscular gizzard ; they 

 delight in seeking their food upon the ground, and 

 in scratching among the dust. To this order belong 

 our game-birds and most of our poultry ; their flesh 

 supplies a light and wholesome meat, and their 

 feathers are applied to various purposes both orna- 

 mental and^ useful. 



This order is divided by Cuvier into two sections — 

 The Gallin^e properly so called, and the Co- 



LUMB^.* 



SECTION I. 

 Galling properly so called. 



Gen. Chabac. — Tarsi lengthened, robust, and sometimes armed with a spur or 

 spurs ; the toes more or less lengthened, but always connected at their base 

 by a membrane, the hind toe more or less developed, and when present more 

 or less elevated from the ground. 



The Grallinaceous birds are so named because 

 they present a general resemblance, both in their 

 structure and habits, to our common barn-door 

 fowls. They are usually of a moderate or rather 

 large size, and of a stout and somewhat heavy shape. 

 They have a small head, often partially or wholly 

 denuded of feathers, and a bill of moderate length, 

 of which the upper mandible is distinctly arched, 

 and overhangs the lower both at the tip and along 



* See " Animal Creation," page 443. 



