Orders of Birds 147 



SUB-CLASS CARINAT^. 



Order Tinamiformes. (Tinamous.) Nest, a scantily-lined 

 hole in the ground. Eggs wonderfully glossy, and of a green, 

 blue, purple, or brown colour. Incubation performed by the 

 male. 



Order Galliformes. (Game-birds.) 



Sub-Order Megapodii. (Megapodes or Mound-builders.) 

 No nest. Eggs placed in a mound and left to hatch out 

 by themselves. Australasia. 

 Sub-Order Craces. (Curassows.) Nest in a tree. Two 



white eggs. South America. 

 Sub-Order Phasiani. (Pheasants and Partridges.) Nest, a 

 roughly-lined depression in the ground. Eggs numerous, 

 uniform, or pitted and scrawled with black, occasionally 

 white. Cosmopolitan. Incubation by the female. 

 Sub-Order Hemipodii. (Hemipodes or Bustard-Quails.) No 

 nest. Eggs laid in a depression in the ground. Incubation 

 by the male. Southern Europe, Africa, and India. 

 Sub-Order Pterocletes. (Sand-Grouse.) No nest. Eggs 

 three, equally rounded at botli ends, and double-spotted. 

 India, Africa, Central Asia to Southern Europe. 

 Order Columbiformes. (Pigeons.) Nest, a rude platform of 

 sticks on a branch, rarely in a cave or hole. Eggs two, pure white. 

 Cosmopolitan. 



Order Opisthocomiformes. (Hoatzins.) Nest of sticks in a 

 bush over water. Eggs four, buff, with spots and blotches of red- 

 dish-brown, like those of Rails. Northern South America, 

 Amazonia, Guiana, etc. 



Order Ralliformes. (Rails.) Nest of sedge in reeds or by 

 the side of water. Eggs five to ten in number, stone-colour or 

 creamy buff, with brown spots and grey underlying dots. Cosmo- 

 politan. 



Order Podicipedidiformes. (Grebes.) Nest of reeds floating 

 on the water. Eggs white, from three to five in number. 

 Cosmopolitan. 



Order Colymbiformes. (Divers.) No nest. Eggs two, dark 



