GALLINACEOUS BIRDS 41 



America, as well as a number of others, to belong to 

 the pheasant family (Phasianidcz) which in that view 

 includes the turkeys, the pheasants, the partridges, the 

 grouse and some others. Until recently American natu- 

 ralists were disposed to regard the pheasant family as 

 limited to the truepheasants, the turkeys, domestic fowl 

 and guinea fowl ; and to place the grouse and the par- 

 tridges and quail in a family by themselves ( Tetraoni- 

 d<z), the grouse family. For the partridges of the Old 

 World the sub-family Perdicince was established, and 

 another sub-family (Odontophorince') for the quails 

 of the New World. By American ornithologists these 

 two groups have recently been given family instead of 

 sub- family rank, and are called Perdicid& and Odon- 

 tophorida. The turkeys have also been given family 

 rank, and are now called Meleagridce. 



Although the various birds belonging to this group 

 may differ widely in many respects, all have certain 

 characteristics in common. In all the body is heavy 

 and round, owing to the great development of the pec- 

 toral muscles what we call the breast in a bird the 

 head is small and the neck rather long. The bill is short 

 and stout, much arched, and overhangs the lower 

 mandible. 



The digestive system has certain peculiarities corre- 

 lated with their habits of life. There is a large crop 

 capable of great distention ; a strong gizzard except in 

 the sage grouse lined with a tough, almost horny, 

 coating, peculiarly adapted to grinding the hard sub- 



