CHAPTER XXI 

 THE TINAMUS, FLIGHTLESS BIRDS, ETC. 



GROUPS CRYPTURI, STEREORNITHES, RATIT>E, ODONTORNITHES, 



AND SAURUR^ 



SOUTH AMERICA is the exclusive home of a group of birds which, 

 while resembling the game birds to a great extent in outward 

 appearance and habits, present a peculiarity in the structure of the bony palate of 

 the skull by which they are distinguished from all the birds hitherto described, 

 and thus approximate to the ostriches. These birds are the tinamus, constituting 

 the order Crypturi and the family Tinamidte, and are represented by thirty-nine 

 species arranged under nine genera. That the tinamus are allied on the one hand 

 to the game birds, and on the other to the ostrich-like birds, seems most probable; 

 and it is not unlikely that the type of palatal structure they display is the primitive 

 one from which the others have originated. 



Partridge, or quail-like, in general appearance, tinamus have small heads, 

 with short, slender, curved beaks; strong, naked legs and feet, in which the first 

 toe is either small or represented merely by its claw; and short, rudimentary tails, 

 which are frequently concealed by the coverts; the wings being also short and 

 rounded. They are specially characterized by the circumstance that while the 

 narrow breastbone has a well-developed keel, like that of the game birds, in the 

 palate of the skull, which is of the cleft or schizognathous type, the vomer, or 

 median element, is fused with the bones immediately in front and behind it, namely, 

 with the maxillo palatines in front and with the palatines and pterygoids behind, 

 in which respect they approximate to the ostriches. A further resemblance to 

 that group is afforded by the circumstance that the last few vertebrae of the tail 

 do not coalesce to form a plowshare-shaped bone. In the skull the apertures of 

 the nostrils resemble those of the game birds in their oval (holorhinal) shape; 

 while on its under surface the sphenoidal rostrum bears well-developed basiptery- 

 goid processes. In the plumage the feathered tracts, both on the neck and else- 

 where, are well distinguished from the bare intervening areas; the aftershafts of 

 the feathers are rudimentary; there are ten primary quills in the wings; and the oil 

 gland is tufted. The young are active almost immediately after hatching, and are 

 remarkable for the rapidity with which they acquire their full plumage; being, in 

 fact, able to fly more rapidly than the adults. The general color of the plumage 

 is deep yellowish, marked above with bars of dark brown and black. The eggs of 

 all the species are remarkable for their highly-polished surface, which resembles a 

 piece of glazed porcelain, the color being either wine red or bluish green. As 

 regards food, the tinamus are vegetable feeders. Since all the members of the 

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