DIVISIONS OF BIRDS. 271 



Ostrich, standing from five to seven feet in height, and it is 

 not uncommonly kept as a domestic pet. The Cassowary 

 ( Gasuarius galeatus) inhabits the Moluccan Islands and New 

 Guinea, and was first brought alive to Europe by the Dutch. 

 It stands about five feet in height, and possesses a singular 

 horny crest upon the head. Another species of Cassowary in- 

 habits Australia, and other species are known to exist in the 

 Indian Archipelago. The last of the living Cursorial birds is 

 the curious bird, the Apteryx (Fig. 133) of New Zealand. In 

 this remarkable bird the beak is extremely long and slender, 

 and the nostrils are placed at the extremity of the upper man- 

 dible. The legs are comparatively short, and there is a rudi- 

 mentary hind-toe, provided with a claw. The feathers of the 

 general plumage are long and hair-like, and the wings are 

 altogether rudimentary. 



ORDER IV. RASOBES (Lat. rado, I scratch). The Scratch- 

 ing Birds or, as they are often called, the Gallinaceous Birds 

 are characterized by the fact that the upper mandible of the 

 bill is convex and vaulted (Fig. 134), and has a membranous 

 space at its base, in which the nostrils are pierced. The nos- 

 trils are also covered by a cartilaginous scale. The legs are 

 strong and muscular, and are often covered with feathers as 

 far as the ankle-joint. There are four toes (Fig. 134), three 

 in front, and a short hind-toe placed on a higher level than the 

 others. All the toes, in the typical members of the order, are 

 provided with strong, blunt claws, suitable for scratching. 

 The food of the Rasores consists chiefly of hard grains and 

 seeds, and, in accordance with this, they have a large crop, 

 and an extremely strong and muscular gizzard. They gener- 

 ally lay their eggs upon the ground, and they are mostly 

 polygamous, each male having several mates. The Doves, 

 however, pair for life. The males take no part in building 

 the nest or in hatching the eggs ; and the young are generally 

 precocious, being able to run about and provide themselves 

 with food from the moment they quit the egg. The wings 

 are usually weak, and the flight feeble, and accompanied with 

 a whirring sound; but many of the Pigeons are powerful 

 flyers. 



The order Rasores is divided into two very well marked 

 sections or sub-orders, called respectively the Grattinacei and 

 Columbacei. In the Gfallinacei are all the typical forms of 

 the order, and the characters of this section are therefore the 

 same as those of the order itself. They are distinguished from 



