432 CLASS XVI. 



Frcmcolinus Stephens, Attagen Blasius and Keyserling. Bill 

 shorter than head or moderate; fissure of mouth large, produced 

 under the eyes. Tarsi elongate, armed with a single spur in males, 

 more rarely with two. Claws sharp, curved. Wings with fourth 

 or third quill longest of all. Tail short. 



Sp. PercUx FrancoUnus Lath. Tetrao Francolinus L., Buff. PI. enl. 147, 

 148 ; south of Europe, continent of India, &c. — Perdix pondiceriana Lath., 

 Temm. pi. col. 213, &c. 



Tetraoperdix Hodgson {Lerwa ejusd., Gray). Tarsi short, thick, 

 " hirsute above, covered below with a double row of scutes in front. 

 Wings with second and third quills subequal, the second longest of 

 all. (Bill thick. Tail broad, rounded.) 



Sp. Perdix nivicola, Perdix Lerwa Hodgs., Proceed. Zool. Soc. 1833, p. 107, 

 Gray Oen. of Birds, PI. 1 30, fig. 7 (fig. of head and foot) ; Himalayan 

 Mountains, close to the snow-line. 



Tetraogallus J. E. Gray, Megaloperdix Gebl. Bill shox"t, broad 

 at the base, with tip curved. Head plumed, except a small triangu- 

 lar area behind the eyes denuded. Tarsi naked, strong, shorter 

 than middle toe, in males armed with a thick, blunt spur. Hallux 

 raised, short, internal. Wings with second and third quills longest 

 of all. Tail broad, rounded. 



Sp. Perdix caucasica, Tetrao caucasica Pall. Zoogr. Posso-Asiaf. Ii. p. 76, 

 Tab. **; — Tetraogallus NigelUi J. E. Gray, lad. Zool., and Gray Gen. of 

 Birds, PI. cxxix. ; large grey birds, with white breast, from the Caucasus, 

 the Altaic and Himalayan Mountains. 



Tetrao L. (in part), Lath., Illig., Lagopus Beiss. Bill short, 

 curved, thick. Nostrils basal, covered with plumules. Region over 

 the eyes naked, papillose. Tarsi hirsute; hallux short, raised or 

 resting on the point; claws broad. Wings with first quill short, 

 third and fourth subequal, longest of all. Tail truncated, rounded, 

 more rarely forked, with 16 or 18 feathers. 



The grouse live in the northern regions of both hemispheres ; they are 

 permanent birds, and feed principally on shoots of trees and on berries. They 

 live in polygamy. In the large species the males are very differently 

 coloured, dark with metallic reflections. In some the lower part of the 

 tarsi is not feathered (the sub-genus Bonasa Stephens, Gray, Tetrastes 

 Blasius and Keyserling) ; in others, on the contrary, even the toes are 

 feathered as far as the claws (the genus Lagopus ViElLL., Blas. and 

 Keyserl., Gray). 



