614 



MANUAL OF. ZOOLOGY. 



times been looked upon as a rudimentary toe.* Lastly, the 

 Gallinacei are mostly polygamous, and the males are usually 

 much more brilliantly coloured than the females, this being an 



adaptive modification of 

 the plumage to meet 

 this peculiarity in their 

 mode of life, t 



The following are the 

 most important families 

 of the Gallinacei: 



The Tetraonidcz, or 

 Grouse family, com- 

 prises the various spe- 

 cies of Grouse (Tetrao\ 

 the Ruffed Grouse (Bo- 

 nasa), the Cock of the 

 Plains ( Centrocercus), 

 and the Ptarmigans 

 (Lagopus). 



The Perdiridce, or 

 Partridge family, com- 

 prises the Partridges 

 (Perdix\ the Francolins 

 (Francolinus), the Quails 

 ( Coturnix), the Mary- 

 land Quail (Ortyx\ the 

 B Tufted Quails (Lophor- 



Upper and under views of the foot of the /y-vA Rrc 

 Wood-pigeon (Colnmba palumbiis). * '' 



The Phasianida, or 



Pheasant family, comprises the Turkeys and Guinea-fowl 

 (Meleagrmce), the common Pheasant (Phasianus Cokhicus}, 

 the Golden and Silver Pheasants, the common Fowl (Gallus 

 domesticus), and the Pea-fowl (Pavonina). None of these birds 

 all of which can be domesticated, and most of which are 

 of great value to man are natives of this country, though 

 they will all breed readily, and thrive even in confinement. 

 The domestic Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is originally a 

 native of North America, where it still occurs in a wild con- 

 dition, having been brought to Europe about the beginning of 

 the sixteenth century. The Guinea-fowl (Numida meleagris] is 



* In some cases (as in the Java Peacock) the female possesses spurs as 

 well as the male; and sometimes (as in Polyplectrori] there are two or more 

 spurs on each leg of the male. 



t The Guinea-fowl, Red Grouse, Ptarmigan, and Partridge are mono- 

 gamous, in a state of nature at any rate. 



IJ 



Fig. 339. A, Foot of Black-cock (Tetrao tetrix). 

 nd C, 



