BIRDS. 



281 



birds used as food ; they are heavy birds, and do not 

 fly easily. Their toes are not adapted for grasping 

 branches nor for swimming nor wading, but for flat 

 surfaces, and they live almost entirely on the ground, 

 ordinarily in little flocks, composed of one male and 

 several females. Most of the varieties are of foreign 

 origin, but they readily acclimate themselves in all 



FIG. 225. 



FIG. 226. 



1, RINGED PLOVER ; 2, GRAY PLOVER ; 

 3, GOLDEN PLOVER. 



Countries. The most im- F EET OF VARIOUS BIRDS. a, swift ; 6, 

 n 11 ,1 i i stilt; c, black stork : d, wryneck ; e, 



portant of all is the chicken, falcon .' /( raven . ;, k ' ingfl y s her ; *, 

 which we have sufficiently peiicau ; *, grebe ; k, coot; i, smew- 

 described in a previous chap- 

 ter. The chickens of our rural districts are usually so 

 mixed in form, plumage, and size that no distinct race 

 is determinable ; when pure races are to be bred they 

 must be kept apart. The turkey is a native of North 

 America. The pheasants are natives of Asia, and have 



24* 



