14 CURSORES. RUNNERS. 



many have also a hind toe, which however is always small, 

 and more or less elevated, so as scarcely to touch the ground. 

 The plumage is moderate, the feathers having a large plu- 

 mule, varying generally from a third to a half of their length, 

 but in the Ostrich group so large that the feathers might be 

 described as double. The wings and tail vary, as in every 

 large group. 



All the species feed on insects and worms, and occa- 

 sionally on vegetable substances, their digestive organs being 

 adapted for both sorts of food. They nestle on the ground; 

 laying from three to five eggs. The males are larger than 

 the females, and sometimes differently coloured, at least in 

 part. The general moult takes place in autumn, the partial 

 moult in spring. Many of the species are migratory, those 

 which in summer reside in the colder or temperate regions 

 moving southward in autumn. 



