g(J2 Birds of Celebes: Phasiamdae. 



upon any small forms of lower animal life; they use theii* feet in scraping up 

 the ground in search of food, or for dusting themselves and, in the case of 

 many species of the Megapodes, raise large mounds in this manner in which 

 to bury their eggs. 



Dr. Gadow (Bronns Kl. & Ord. VI, pt. 4, 1893, II, 174) considers that 

 the Gain have affinities with the Turnices and Tinami, and in a less degree with 

 the Rails. These have all a U-shaped furcula, without any hypoclidium, in the 

 Gain it is V-shaped with the latter process. The Galli have a large crop; in 

 the Turnices and Ralli this is absent, but it is well developed in the Tinanii. 

 From the Charadriidae the Galli may be distinguished, as Gadow points out, 

 by their having 10 (instead of 11) primaries and by the plagiocoelous 'of. Diet. 

 B. p. 142) loops of the intestines; from the Gndformes by the intestinal arrange- 

 ment, and by the strong spina sterni; from the Tinami by the hypotarsus with 

 one or more canals, by the absence of impressions of supraorbital glands , and 

 by the bill being covered with a smooth horny rhamphotheca. For further 

 anatomical characters see Gadow 1. c. and in Newton's "Dictionary of Birds". 

 In the Megapodes the S''' secondary is supposed to be absent, but this requires 

 reinvestigation. 



The Galli have normal toes — three in front and one behind, and the 

 order is divided by Gadow and by Ogilvie-Grant into two gi'oups or suborders, 

 Alectoropodes and Peristeropodes , according as the hallux is raised above the 

 other toes or on a level with them. Celebes has but few representatives of this 

 order, and of these Eoccalfactoria and Galbis belong to the Alectoropodes, and 

 Megapodius and Megacephalon to the Peristeropodes. 



FAMILY PHASIANIDAE. 



The Partridges, Quails, Pheasants, Peacocks, Turkeys, and Colins are gathered 

 into a family by Mr. Ogilvie-Grant (Cat. B. XXII, 1893), who distinguishes 

 them from the Grouse -family, Tetraonidae, by their having the nostrils never 

 hidden by feathers, the tarsi partially or entirely naked, and often armed with 

 spurs; the toes naked, and never pectinated along the sides. 



GENUS EXCALFACTORIA Bp. 



The size of a Lark; tail-feathers 8 in number (Grant), entirely concealed 

 by the much longer upper tail-coverts and difficult to examine; bill shorter than 

 the cranium, the maxilla overlapping the mandible both at the tip and at the 

 sides; tarsus yellowish, bare, except quite at the tibio-tarsal joint in front, reti- 

 culate, equal in length to the middle toe and claw; hallux much reduced, about 

 half the length of the lateral toes; wing short, rounded to fit the body, second- 



