82 DIVISION I. VERTEBRAL ANIMALS.—CLASS II. AVES. 
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the same south-east direction till after six in the evening. The great breadth 
of front which this mighty multitude preserved would seem to intimate a 
corresponding breadth of their breeding-place, which, by several gentlemen 
who had lately passed through part of it, was stated to me at several miles. 
It was said to be in Green County, and that the young began to fly about 
the middle of March. 
ville, and not far from Green River, I crossed this same breeding-place, 
On the 17th of April, forty-nine miles beyond Dan- 
where the nests for more than three miles spotted every tree; the leaves not 
being yet out, Thad a fair prospect of them, and was really astonished at 
their numbers. A few bodies of pigeons lingered yet in different parts of 
the woods, the roaring of whose wings was heard in various quarters argund 
me. <All accounts agree in stating that each nest contains only a single 
young one. ‘These are so extremely fat, that the Indians, and many of the 
whites, are accustomed to melt down the fat for domestic purposes, as a sub- 
stitute for butter and lard. At the time they leave the nest, they are nearly 
as heavy as the old ones, but become much leaner after they are turned out 
to shift for themselves.” 
Famity PreneLorrip2. Guans AND Curassows. 
Of the Guans, Gray writes as follows : — 
“The birds of this division are only found in the warmer parts of South 
America. They mostly reside upon the trees of the vast forests of the in- 
terior, near the tops of which they perch during the heat of the day; in the 
cool of the morning and evening, they are actively engaged in searching, 
from tree to tree, or on the ground, for their food, which consists of fruits 
and various insects. Their flight is heavy, and performed with difficulty.” 
The same author says of the Curassows, — 
“The species of this genus are found in the woods of tropical America. 
They are generally observed together in numerous flocks, searching for 
worms, insects, fruits, and seeds of plants, on which they subsist. The 
nests are built on trees, and are formed externally of branches, interlaced 
with the stalks of herbaceous plants, and lined with leaves.” 
TFamiry Mecaropip.x. Tore Mounp Binrps. 
The habits of the typical genus Wegapodius serves to illustrate this family. 
“The species of this singular genus are found in all the islands of the 
eastern archipelagos of Asia, and the north-western parts of Australia. 
They are exclusively met with in pairs in the thick woods of the immediate 
neizhborhood of the sea, and, if disturbed, very quickly hide among the 
brushwood. They seek their food, which consists of fibrous roots, seeds, 
berries, and insects, on the ground, Their flight is heavy, and when dis- 
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