140 HIGH SCHOOL ZOOLOGY. 



sontcd in the Old World, and esj^ecially in India by the Pheasant (/'//ffs?- 

 aiiii.'i colcJi'icns), Peafowl {Pavo), Guineafowl (Nuiiiida), Argus Pheasant 

 {Argus), etc. On the other hand, the Grouse family is as charaeter- 

 istically American as Old World, for we have Puffed Grouse {Bonasn) 

 Prairie-hen (Tympanuchus), Ptarmigan {Loyo/)»-b), and other forms. Two 

 aberrant families are associated with the Gallina; which exhil)it primitive 

 characteristics in two different directions, — the Megapodidseof Australia, 

 which do not hatch their eggs,jbut lay them in heaps, to be incubated by 

 the heat evolved from decomposing vegetable matter mixed with them 

 and the Tinamus of South America, which in the structure of the skull 

 remind us of the Jlatitse, 



23. The Pigeons or Columbse are better adapted for flight than the, 

 foregoing order, the feet arj more delicate, the bill has a soft cere, and the 

 young are looked after by the parents on their escape from the egg. 

 In this region we have merely the passenger pigeon (Ectopistcs) and tlie 

 mourning dove (Zenaidurd) ; but the pigeons form a very large group, 

 especially developed in the Australian region, where the ground-pigeons 

 (Goura) and fruit-pigeons (Carpophaga) are abundant. Our numerous 

 domestic races and varieties are all derived from the Mediterranean 

 Eock-pigeon (Columha livia). Now extinct forms allied to the pigeon 

 were the Dodo of Mauritius {Dalits hieptiis) and the Solitaire of Rodri- 

 guez {Pezophaps), their extinction being attributable to their rudimentary 

 wings. 



24. All the birds of prey (Raptores) agree in the possession of strong 

 curved claws and bill, the uj^per beak projecting like a hook beyond the 

 lower, and with a cere surrounding the nostrils. The tarsus may be 

 scutellate or partly feathered. It is naked and extremely long in the 

 Secretary Bird, Gypogeramis, a crane-like form from the African steppes, 

 wh'ch chiefly hunts Pejjtiles, but it is comparatively short in the other 

 genera, especially so in the Owls, where not only the tarsus is feathered, 

 but also the foot. The whole plumage in the Owls is of such a character 

 as to permit the noiseless flight so helpful to them as nocturnal birds. 

 Their habit of concealing themselves during the day in trees, rocks, etc., 

 is assisted by the climbing foot. ' Some of the species like the Barn-Owl 

 {Strix), and Saw-whet Owl (Nyctale) have complete radiating disks of 

 feathers round the eyes, others like the Horned Ow\a(Buho), only horns. 

 Tlie tiny burrowing Owls of the Western States (Speotyto) have the 

 singvilar habit of nesting at the ends of long burrows. 



The above-mentioned families include extreme types of the Raptores, 

 between which are the vultures, eagles, falcons, etc. , more closely related 



