CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



Africa, where it lives in large flocks in the neigh- 

 bourhood of marshes. The Megapodida, or 

 Jungle-fowl of Australia, from the size of the feet, 

 may be mentioned along with this group. They 

 are about the size of a turkey, are adorned with 

 a crest, and have strong rasorial claws. Mr Gould 

 says they do not incubate, but deposit their eggs 

 in mounds of mould and vegetable matter ; and 

 by the natural heat engendered in these, the eggs 

 are hatched. 



The Tetraonida (Partridge or Grouse tribe) are 

 all of them wild birds, inhabiting uncultivated 

 grounds in the colder climates of Europe, Asia, 

 and North America. They are distinguished by 

 a short hind-toe, a short tail, and comparatively 

 dull plumage. The Red Grouse (Lagopus Scoticus}, 

 151ackcock(7V/r<w tetrix\ and Ptarmigan (Lago- 

 pus vulguris), abound in the Highlands of Scot- 

 land ; and as the objects of a favourite amuse- 

 ment, give a value to much ground which would 

 otherwise be nearly useless. They feed chiefly on 

 the seeds of wild plants. The largest species of 

 grouse is the Capercailzie, or Cock of the Woods 

 (fitrao urogallns), once abundant in Scotland, 

 and still so in Norway. It feeds on pine-shoots, 

 and grows to the size of a turkey. Nearly all 

 the grouse have the toes and legs more or less 

 covered with soft feathers a character which dis- 

 appears in the Partridges, an extensive group, 

 scattered in nearly all parts of the Old World, 

 but unknown in the New. Two species of Par- 

 tridges are found in Britain the Perdrix tinerea, 

 or Common Partridge, and the P. rubra, or Red 

 Partridge. In the Quails (Coturnix\ we have 

 the miniature resemblance of partridges, but the 

 tail is so short as to be nearly imperceptible. 



The family of the Columbidce contains a large 

 number of elegant and lovely birds. They are 

 furnished with strong wings, and are more capable 

 of flight than the other families of the Rasores. 

 Their feet also are more slender, and well adapted 

 for perching. The crop has a double dilatation, 

 which expands on each side of the gullet ; and 

 the young are fed with grain disgorged from this 

 receptacle by the parent, and impregnated with a 

 secretion which it forms. These birds live invari- 

 ably in pairs ; they nestle in trees or in the holes 

 of rocks, and lay but few eggs, though they breed 

 often. This family includes the whole of the well- 

 known tribe of Pigeons and Doves. The Common 

 Dovecot-pigeon is derived from the Rock-pigeon 

 (Columba livia), which naturally breeds principally 

 among the sea-cliffs, and but sparingly inland. 

 But the Ringed-pigeon (C. palumbus) is of a 

 different stock ; and though it chiefly frequents the 

 districts cultivated by man, it resists his nearer 

 approach. The Carrier-pigeon is not a distinct 

 species, but only a variety of the common one 

 which has undergone a particular training. The 

 Ground Pigeons approach the Gallinacei some- 

 what in their characters. The Crowned Pigeon 

 (Goura coronatd) of the Indian Archipelago is 

 nearly as large as a turkey. It is proper to 

 mention an extinct species of fowl nearly allied 

 to the pigeon tribe. The Dodo (Didus ineptus) 

 existed in the Mauritius till the time of Charles 

 1 [. ; and we only know it now from the descriptions 

 of voyagers, and certain fragments which have 

 happened to be preserved. It was a bird about 

 the size of a swan, with imperfect wings, utterly 

 useless for flight, and only a small bunch of 



172 



feathers in the usual situation of the tail ; a large, 



Dodo (Didus ineftus). 



strong, curved beak ; and legs and feet like those 

 of a turkey. 



Scansores. 



ORDER 5. Scansores, or Climbing-birds, are dis- 

 tinguished at once by the structure of their feet. 

 The foot has four toes, two of which are directed 

 forwards and two backwards, so that the birds are 

 specially suited for climbing. They are not good 

 walkers or fliers, and build their nest carelessly ; 

 indeed, some of them build no nest, but deposit 

 their eggs in the nests of other birds. They feed 

 on insects and fruit They are all more or less 

 arboreal. 



The Cuckoos (CucuKdee) : The Common 

 Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) derives its name from 

 its peculiar cry. It is a migratory bird, arriving 

 in this country about the end of April It is chiefly 



Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus). 



remarkable in that it builds no nest of its own, 

 nor does it hatch its own eggs, but deposits them 

 in the nests of other birds, such as the hedge 

 sparrow, by which they are reared. It deposits 

 but one egg in each nest. The bird is about the 

 size of a pigeon, and of an ash-gray colour. 



Family Picidtz (Woodpeckers) : They are well 

 fitted for climbing trees, and are furnished with 

 a long extensible tongue, covered with a viscid 

 secretion, which they insert into the chinks of 

 timber in search of insects. They make use of 

 their pointed, stiff tail-feathers to assist them in 

 maintaining their position. The Green Wood- 

 pecker (Picimis -viridis), the Greater Spotted 

 Woodpecker (Dry abates major), and the Lesser 

 Spotted Woodpecker (D. minor), are constantl; 



