TETRAONID^. 301 



naked skin of the orbits reaches to the base of 

 the beak, and is finished with very small warty ex- 

 crescences, which are apparently red in the living 

 bird. The female is unknown. 



GENUS CCLXXXIX.— PHASIANUS Auctorum. 

 PHEASANT. 



Generic charactei*: vide Steph. v. xi. p. 221. 



GENUS CCXC— ARGUS, Temrainck. 



Generic character : vide Steph. v. xi. p. 242. 



Ar. giganteus. Shato's Zoological Lectures, v. i. p. 209. pi. 68. — 

 India. 



GENUS CCXCI.-NUMIDA, Linne. PINTADO. 

 Generic character: vide Steph. v. xi. p. 257. 



FAMILY III.— TETRAONIDtE. 



Rostrum mediocre, gracile aut subcrassum, plerumque supra 

 convexum, basi aut nudum aut plumosum: orbitae s<spe nudce: 

 pedes tetradactyli aut tridactyli, digito postico breve, dcbile, aut 

 nulla: tarsi plerumque calacati: cauda breve, intei'dum nulla. 



Beak moderate, slender or rather stoutj generally convex above, 

 the base naked or feathered : orbits often naked : legs with four 

 or three toes, the hinder one either short and weak, or de- 

 ficient : tarsi generally furnished with spurs : the tail short, 

 sometimes wanting. 



The Tetraonidse are of less brilliant plumage than 

 the last family ; amongst which may be noticed se- 

 veral birds of large size, and of extraordinary struc- 

 ture : as instances of the latter the genera Odonto- 

 phorus and Syrrhaptes may be particularized. 



