2 CLASS AVES. • 



Every male has, in general, many females, and 

 does not intermeddle either with the nest, or bring- 

 ing up of the young, which are in general numerous ; 

 and, which for the most part, are able to run imme- 

 diately on quitting the egg. 



This order is composed principally of a very 

 natural family, remarkable for having furnished us 

 with the most part of our domestic poultry, and with 

 some excellent game ; whose anterior toes are united 

 at the base by a short membrane, and indented along 

 their edges ; and which can be divided into genera 

 by characters only of little importance, drawn from 

 the appendices of the head. But that we may not 

 over much multiply beings, we shall associate with 

 them certain genera, whose feet have not this mem- 

 brane, and one of which, the Pigeons, connect the 

 Gallinaceous birds with the Passeres ; the others, 

 Opisthocomi, approximate in some degree to the 

 Corythaix of the last family. 



The Alectors.* (Merrem.) 



Are large gallinaceous birds of America, a good deal 

 analogous to our turkeys, with a large round tail, 

 composed of broad and stiff feathers. Many of them 

 have singular arrangements of the windpipe. They 

 live in the woods, on buds and fruits, build in the 

 ti'ees, perch, and are very sociable, and inclined to 

 domestication. Gmelin and Latham have divided 

 them into Curassows and Guans, but from characters 



* Alector is the Greek name for the cock 



