198 NATURAL HISTORY OF BIRDS. 



the source of all the aomcsticatcd poultry throughout the world. Aa a general rule, 

 they are birds with stout legs and feet, rather small heads with curved bills, the nostrils 

 jilaied in a ineinbrane covered by a scale, moderately long nicks, and heavy bodies 

 with short rounded wings. The tarsi of the males are freijuently armed with one or 

 more spurs, and in some species this weapon is present on the legs of the female also. 

 In the ])igeon-footcd families the hind toe, or hallux, is on the same i)lane as the three 

 others, which are directed forwards ; but the fowl-fooled have the hallux usually very 

 small and raised, sometimes b.arely touching the ground. The sternum has a double 

 bifurcation on each side, the fissures w ide and dee]*, and jjrovides but little space for 

 the attachment of the i)ecloral muscles. These last are, however, well developed, 

 giving the j>lump a])pearance characteristic of these birds. The tail is frcipiently 

 short, of various shapes, but in the Phasianida> it is sometimes lengdiencd to an extra- 

 ordinary degree. The flight is labored, but ra]>id, and not often extended to any con- 

 siderable distance. The trso])h.agus is dilated and forms what is called the crop, 

 which receives and moistens the food. The gizzard is very strong, having a thick and 

 hard interior wall, and, in order to assist in grinding the food, the birds are accustomed 

 to swallow small stones, etc. The cwca are frequently highly developed. The spe- 

 cies of this order lay numerous eggs, and the young are at first covered with down, 

 and are able to run and feed from the moment of birth. 



Sub-Obder I. — Gallinje Alectokopodes. 



The family Tetkaonid-e is composed of the quails, partridges, and grouse, and is 

 represented in almost every ])art of the worlil. It lias been diviiled l)y naturalists 

 into various sul)-families, but three would seem to be suflicient for all the species. 

 These are Perdicinu', Odonto]>llorina^ and Tetraoninse. They differ very considerably 

 from each other. The lirst is a very extensive grou]i, <'oni]prisiiig among its species 

 the smallest met with among the Gallina\ It is exclusively .-ui Old 'World group, no 

 representative having been obtained in the western hemisj)here. The Odonto])horina;, 

 on the other hand, arc only found in the New WorM, ami are kni>wn as the American 

 partridges, differing from those of the eastern heinisphere, among other characters, by 

 having the mandible notched on either side. The members of the third sub-family, 

 Tetraoniiia>, are inhabitants of both hemis|ilieres, one s|iecies being found through the 

 Arctic regions of the world. They are large binls, distinguished from the rest of 

 the family by having the legs and feet densely feathered ; in one genus, however, 

 (^Bonasa) the feathers extend only to the knee. They have heavy, ])luni]) bodies, with 

 short tails, ami geiu'rally a plumage of contrasting colors suitable for concealing them 

 among the herbage in which they dwell. 



Of the Perdicina?, the genus Coturinx has representatives in most of the countries 

 of the Old World, the familiar ('. communis, or migratory-quail, being its best known 

 BjH'cies. This little bird travels in great l)odies, mainly at night, from its winter 

 homes, generally in the southern ])ortions of its habitats, to the localities selected for 

 its brecding-])laces, returning again, as the seasons revolve, to warmer climes. It feeds 

 mainly on grass, seeds, grain, and insects of various kinds, and is rarely seen save 

 when flushed by man or dog. During its migrations, great bodies of water, like the 

 Mediterranean, are crossed, and sometimes, after such long flights, the birds become 

 so exhausted as to permit themselves to be jiicked u]) by the hand on first reaching 



