60 



attention should be drawn to the Ralline tendencies of these abnormal 

 RatitcE, with all those other peculiar characteristics on \yhich it is not 

 necessary here to dilate at length. 



In a similar manner our student would next be directed to the 

 Tinaraous or Crypturi, which should be placed on the path to the Game- 

 birds, as Galline forms in which certain Struthious characters have 

 persisted, while the peculiar nature of their eggs would not fail to 

 excite comparisons with those of the neighbouring groups. The 

 Tinamous are, in fact, Struthious Partridges, and the habits of some 

 of them are thoroughly Partridge-like {cf. Hudson, in ' Argentine 

 Ornithology,' ii. p. 210). 



From the Crypturi the transition to the true Game-birds is natural, 

 and here we should find several groups which, though classed together 

 by most systematists, seem to me as well worthy of distinct recognition 

 as the Crypturi. We may ask — What has aMegapode in common with 

 a Pheasant ? Or wherein lies the affinity of the Ciirassow, with its nest 

 in a tree and its white egg, with a Partridge ? Of course, we shall be 

 referred to certain osteological and myological characters which demon- 

 strate the affinity of these groups, and we do not deny their importance. 

 But the result of our cases, showing the Megapode with its mound, the 

 Pheasant with its numerous eggs on the ground, and the Curassow with 

 its nest and two white eggs on a tree, would bs sufficient to demonstrate 

 how widely separated these three groups of Game-birds really are, 

 while we should appeal to our maps of distribution to help us 

 in their recognition. 



Not far from the Quails among the Phasiani, we should come to the 

 Hemipodii, a little group of Quail-like birds, with a skull akin to that of 

 Pterocles * and with Galline nestling. My colleague Mr. Ogilvie Grant 

 is about to draw attention to several points in the osteology of the 

 Hemipodes which show their truly Galline affinities. They lay, more- 

 over, a double- spotted egg, which is also a Pterocline character. 



Before leaving the true Game-birds it will be well to proceed a little 

 further to the left of our imaginary Museum, to study the Sand- 

 Grouse, which, although possessing a perfectly Galline nestling, yet 

 exhibit osteological characteristics which are strikingly Columbine. 

 They lay, however, a double-spotted egg, which is peculiar among 

 Game-birds, and their habits and general surroundings are also empha- 

 sized enough to allow us to regard them as a perfectly separate 

 group from both the Game-birds and the Pigeons. The latter would 

 stand quite by themselves, and it should not be very difficult by means 

 of a series of well-mounted groups to illustrate the economy of all the 

 various forms which are included under the comprehensive title of the 

 Columbse. More especially must we illustrate the Geophapes, with 

 their Galline nestling. 



* Parker describes the palate of Tiirnix as incompletely segithognathous. 



