268 The Fowl-like Birds 



that in the Megapodes the oil-gland at the base of the tail is naked, and in the 

 Curassows it is tufted. The second group (Alectoropodes} comprises the major- 

 ity of the members of the order, although it embraces but a single family 

 (Phasianidce), which is divided into four or more subfamilies as follows: the 

 Meleagrince, or Turkeys of North and Central America; the Numidinea, or 

 Guinea-Fowls of Africa and Madagascar; the Tetraonintz, or Grouse, Ptarmi- 

 gan, and Quails of wide distribution; and the Phasianina, or the Fowls, 

 Pheasants, and Peacocks of Asia. The further differentiation of these sub- 

 families will be presented under the several headings. 



THE MEGAPODES 



(Family Megapodidce) 



Although clearly gallinaceous in structure, the Megapodes stand out boldly 

 from all known birds in a number of marked peculiarities. They are the only 

 birds known to depend wholly on artificial incubation for their eggs, thus being, 

 as Dr. Stejneger has said, "the first feathered inventors of an artificial incubator 

 to take the place of the mother and provide the warmth necessary to develop the 

 embryo contained in the eggs into a perfect chick, which is ordinarily supplied 

 by the parent's body." They are also the only birds known in which the young 

 are hatched fully feathered and able to fly from birth. 



The Megapodes are mostly plain, dark-colored birds, approximating in size 

 the common fowl, although some, as the Brush Turkey, are as large as a hen 

 Turkey. They have very large legs and feet, with long, curved claws, and have 

 the first toe on 'the same level as the others. They are found in Australia, New 

 Guinea, and the Philippines, and are usually met with in pairs or small parties, 

 although the species in the Nicobar Islands (Megapodius nicobariensis} is often 

 found in flocks of from thirty to fifty. They remain in the vicinity of the sea- 

 shore or along streams, frequenting the dense brush, where they live on a variety 

 of things, as roots, fallen fruit, insects, worms, snails, and centipedes. The flesh, 

 however, is white and well flavored. They are rather difficult to observe, as they 

 run swiftly when alarmed ; when flushed they fly heavily and with much noise. 



The Megapodes, of which seven genera and about thirty species have been 

 described, first attracted attention more than three hundred years ago, when one 

 of the survivors of Magellan's voyage mentioned the curious nesting habits of 

 the Philippine species. Soon other observations were added to this, and nesting 

 habits that at first seemed impossible came to be authenticated. 



In the manner of the preparation of these curious artificial incubators the 

 Megapodes may be divided into two groups, the so-called Mound -builders and 

 the Maleos. In the first group the birds scratch or kick together great mounds 

 of rubbish, consisting of dirt, grass, leaves, and rotten wood, in the midst of 

 which they deposit their eggs. The mounds differ greatly in size, some being 

 only a few feet across, while others may be ten, fifteen, or thirty feet across, and 

 often six feet high, and one of extraordinary size, described from the island of 

 Nogo, was one hundred and fifty feet in circumference. They are usually of 



