CHAP. V TINAMIDAE I 
[o/e) 
WwW 
abbreviated tail possesses ten very weak feathers, hidden by the 
coverts in Zinamus, Nothocercus, and Crypturus, and hardly 
distinguishable from them in Rhynehotus, Nothoprocta, and 
Nothura, the coverts themselves almost forming a train in the 
male of Zaoniscus. Calodromas has twelve rectrices. The tongue 
is small and triangular, the crop is large and globular, the after- 
shaft is rudimentary or wanting; powder-down feathers occur 
near the rump, and the down of the adults is sparing, while 
that of the nestlings, which run from the shell, is simple, as in 
Ratite birds, and. of a buftish-brown or chestnut colour, often 
relieved by black markings and white streaks. 
Like Partridges in appearance, and varying from the size of a 
large Fowl to that of a Quail, Tinamous are essentially ground- 
birds, and rarely perch, some species being solitary and others 
forming coveys; they haunt the undergrowth of thick forests, 
dry bushy and grassy flats, or—exceptionally—rocky mountains. 
The flight is strong and extremely swift, accompanied by quick 
vibrations of the wings, occasionally varied by a ghding motion ; 
so reckless moreover is the pace that individuals are frequently 
killed by striking against the first obstacle they meet on rising. To 
flush them, however, is often a vain attempt, as they run with 
amazing rapidity, and are readily concealed by the surrounding 
vegetation. The voice—a trill or mellow whistle of several 
notes—differs somewhat according to the species, and may be 
heard even in winter; the food consists of seeds, berries, roots, 
bulbs, spiders, insects and their larvae, maize- and potato-crops 
being at times seriously damaged. A hole is scraped under 
shelter of a tussock or bush, and scantily lined with dry leaves 
or herbage, to receive the eggs, deposited in some districts almost 
throughout the year; these are oval, and so wonderfully burnished 
as to be totally unlike those of any other bird. They vary, 
according to the species, from reddish-chocolate, wine-purple, or 
liver-colour to dark blue, bluish-green or primrose, and number 
from four or five to sixteen; though the smaller figures are perhaps 
the most reliable, as larger sets, though not uncommon, may be 
the produce of more than one hen. As in the Turnicidae, and to 
some extent in the Ratitae, the male alone incubates, sitting about 
three weeks, and feigning disablement to decoy intruders from the 
nest. The flesh is very delicate, and good sport may be had with 
some species near the holes where they daily dust themselves. 
