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No. 13.— Order III.— RASOEES (Ground birds). 



^HERE is no class of birds so well known, or so highly 

 ^4 appreciated generally, as the third Order of systematic 

 naturalists, the Rasores, or Ground birds ; " Scrapers," or " Scratch- 

 era," as the scientific title may be more correctly translated. It 

 is by far the smallest of the five Orders, for the British list contains 

 only four families; the Pigeons, the Pheasants, the Grous, and 

 the Bustards : and two of these families are represented severally 

 by one species only in this county, while the whole Order as known 

 in these isles, embraces only seventeen species ; thirteen of which 

 have appeared in Wiltshire, either as permanent residents, as 

 regular periodical migrants, or as occasional stragglers. So far 

 then our county can boast an unusually large catalogue of this 

 highly prized Order : but it will be seen in the sequel that a great 

 proportion of this number (I may indeed say half the species), can 

 only be considered in the light of accidental visitors, which from 

 one cause or another have wandered out of their way to our in- 

 hospitable borders ; and have generally paid the penalty of their 

 too vagrant habits by forfeiting their lives, and yielding their skins 

 as trophies to some exultant ornithologist. 



I have said that of all classes of the feathered race, the Ground 

 birds are most generally known and valued : and when we reflect 

 that they embrace the whole family of pigeons, and the principal 

 part of the game birds, so carefully reared and so highly prized by 

 the sportsman ; the pheasants, the grous, and the partridges ; it 

 will be at once apparent, that as well for the excellent eating which 

 their flesh offers, as for the sport which the pursuit of them entails, 

 they are very highly esteemed amongst us ; and consequently they 

 come more frequently under our notice, and their habits are more 



