CHAPTER XI 



THE TINAMOUS 



(Order Crypturiformes) 



| HE New World, from the southern portions of Mexico to the extremity 

 of South America, is the home of a remarkable group of land birds 

 known as Tinamous (tinamoos). They have a strong superficial resem- 

 blance to the game-birds, and in fact are usually called Partridges in 

 the countries where they live, and for a long time were supposed by ornitholo- 

 gists to be related to the game-birds, but comparatively recent studies have settled 

 the fact that there is little or no real relationship between them. They have com- 

 pact bodies, and rather short stout legs, while the head is small, the mouth split to 

 under the eyes, and the neck rather long and slender. The wings are short and 

 rounded and the tail-feathers short, or even altogether absent. In general the color 

 of the plumage is deep yellowish or brownish, marked above with dark brown and 

 black bars, and interspersed among the feathers are numerous powder-downs, or 

 feathers which are continually breaking off the tips into a fine powder-like sub- 

 stance. The Tinamous have quite a well-developed keel to the breast-bone but 

 possess only limited powers of flight. They are, however, very rapid runners and 

 can rarely be forced to take to wing. When they do, they may fly for one or 

 two thousand yards, and may repeat flights of this distance once or twice, but 

 then their endurance fails and they can fly no more. Hudson, writing of their 

 flight, says: " The bird rises up when almost trodden upon, rushing into the air 

 with a noise and violence that fill one with astonishment. It continues to rise 

 at a decreasing angle for fifty or sixty yards, then gradually nearing the earth, 

 till, when it has got to a distance of two or three hundred yards, the violent action 

 of the wing ceases, and the bird glides along close to the earth for some distance, 

 and either drops down or renews its flight. The Tinamou starts forward with 

 such amazing energy until this is expended and the moment of gliding comes, that 

 the flight is just as ungovernable to the bird as the motion of a brakeless engine, 

 rushing along at full speed, would be to the driver. The bird knows the danger 

 to which this peculiar character of its flight exposes it so well that it is careful 

 to fly only to that side where it sees a clear course. It is sometimes, however, 

 compelled to take wing suddenly, without considering the obstacles in its path. 

 In the course of a short ride of ten miles, during which several birds sprang up 

 before me, I have seen some of these Tinamous dash themselves to death against 

 a fence close to the path, the height of which they had evidently misjudged. I 

 have also seen a bird fly blindly against the wall of a house, killing itself 



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