198 NATURAL HISTORY OF BIRDS. 



the source of all the domesticated poultry throughout the world. As a general rule, 

 they are birds with stout legs and feet, rather small heads with curved bills, the nostrils 

 placed in a membrane covered by a scale, moderately long necks, and heavy bodies 

 with short, rounded wings. The tarsi of the males are frequently armed with one or 

 more spurs, and in some species this weapon is present on the legs of the female also. 

 In the pigeon-footed families the hind toe, or hallux, is on the same plane as the three 

 others, which are directed forwards ; but the fowl-footed have the hallux usually very 

 small and raised, sometimes barely touching the ground. The sternum has a double 

 bifurcation on each side, the fissures wide and deep, and provides but little space for 

 the attachment of the pectoi'al muscles. These last are, however, well developed, 

 giving the plump appearance characteristic of these birds. The tail is frequently 

 short, of various shapes, -but in the Phasianidae it is sometimes lengthened to an extra- 

 ordinary degree. The flight is labored, but rapid, and not often extended to any con- 

 siderable distance. The oesophagus is dilated and forms what is called the crop, 

 which receives and moistens the food. The gizzard is very strong, having a thick and 

 hard interior wall, and, in order to assist in grinding the food, the birds are accustomed 

 to swallow small stones, etc. The caeca are frequently highly developed. The spe- 

 cies of this order lay numerous eggs, and the young are at first covered with down, 

 and are able to run and feed from the moment of birth. 



SUB-ORDER I. GALLINJE ALECTOROPODES. 



The family TETRAONID.E is composed of the quails, partridges, and grouse, and is 

 represented in almost every part of the world. It has been divided by naturalists 

 into various sub-families, but three would seem to be sufficient for all the species. 

 These are Perdicinae, Odontophorinae, and Tetraoninae. They differ very considerably 

 from each other. The first is a very extensive group, comprising among its species 

 the smallest met with among the Galling. It is exclusively an Old World group, no 

 representative having been obtained in the western hemisphere. The Odontophorinae, 

 on the other hand, are only found in the New World, and are known as the American 

 partridges, differing from those of the eastern hemisphere, among other characters, by 

 having the mandible notched on either side. The members of the third sub-family, 

 Tetraoninae, are inhabitants of both hemispheres, one species being found through the 

 Arctic regions of the world. They are large birds, distinguished from the rest of 

 the family by having the legs and feet densely feathered ; in one genus, however, 

 (Bonasa) the feathers extend only to the knee. They have heavy, plump bodies, with 

 short tails, and generally a plumage of contrasting colors suitable for concealing them 

 among the herbage in which they dwell. 



Of the Perdicinae, the genus Coturinx has representatives in most of the countries 

 of the Old World, the familiar C. communis, or migratory-quail, being its best known 

 species. This little bird travels in great bodies, mainly at night, from its winter 

 homes, generally in the southern portions of its habitats, to the localities selected for 

 its breeding-places, returning again, as the seasons revolve, to Avarmer climes. It feeds 

 mainly on grass, seeds, grain, and insects of various kinds, and is rarely seen save 

 when flushed by man or dog. During its migrations, great bodies of water, like the 

 Mediterranean, are crossed, and sometimes, after such long flights, the birds become 

 so exhausted as to permit themselves to be picked up by the hand on first reaching 



