CHAP. XVIIl.j 



BIRDS. 



343 



Antilles, oor west of the Andes south of the bay of Guayaquil. 

 The sub-families and genera are as follows : — 



Gracing, 4 genera. — Crax (8 sp.), Mexico to Paraguay 

 (Plate XV., Vol. II. p. 28) ; Nothocrax (1 sp.), Guiana, Upper 

 Eio Negro, and Upper Amazon ; Pcmxi (1 sp.), Guiana to 

 Venezuela; Mitua (2 sp.), Guiana and Upper Amazon. 



Penelopin^, 7 genera. — Stegnolocma (1 sp.), Columbia and 

 Ecuador; Penelope (14 sp.), Mexico to Paraguay and to western 

 slope of Ecuadorian Andes ; Fcnelojnna (1 sp.), Guatemala; 

 Fijnle (3 sp.), Venezuela to Eastern Brazil; Ahuma (1 sp), 

 Columbia ; Chamcepetes (2 sp.), Costa Rica to Peru ; Ortalida 

 (18 sp.), New Mexico to Paraguay, also Tobago. 



Geeophasin^, 1 genus. — Orcojjhasis (1 sp.), Guatemala. 



It thus appears that the Cracinae are confined to South America 

 east of the Andes, except one species in Central America; 

 whereas nine Penelopina? and Oreoi^hasis are found north of 

 Panama. The species of the larger genera are strictly repre- 

 sentative, each having its own distinct geographical area, so that 

 two species of the same genus are rarely or never found in 

 the same locality. 



Family 92.— TINAMID^E. (9 Genera, 39 Species.) 



The Tinamous are a very remarkable faaiily of birds, with the 

 general appearance of partridges or hemipodes, but with the tail 

 either very small or entirely wanting. They differ greatly in 

 their organization from any of the Old World Gallinae, and ap- 

 proach, in some respects, the Struthiones or Ostrich tribe. They 

 are very terrestrial in their habits, inhabiting the forests, open 

 plains, and mountains of the Neotropical region, from Patagonia 

 and Chili to Mexico ; but, like the Cracidse, they are absent from 

 the Antilles. Their colouring is very sober and protective, as is 

 the case with so many ground-birds, and they are seldom adorned 



