BIRDS OF THE NORTHERN STATES 293 
one extending around the neck. Bill rather short. Nest on the ground. 
Very Common S.R. 
270 Black-bellied Plover. M. 274. Semipalmated Plover. Rare 
272 American Golden Plover. M. M. 
277@ Belted Piping Plover. S.R. 
Turnstone Family. — A small family of shore birds with short bills 
and (for shore birds) short legs, having the habit of turning over stones 
and shells in search of food. They are often associated with Sand- 
pipers. 
283.1 Ruddy Turnstone. Rare M. 
THE Lanp Brirps 
SCRATCHING BIRDS 
From the standpoint of human food, this is easily our most important 
order of birds, for it includes not only some of our most popular wild 
game but also the principal part of our farm poultry. All the birds of 
this order have the habit of scratching the ground in search of food, a 
practice which is scarcely ever seen in any other birds. There are two 
great groups of scratching birds. One of these includes the famous Jungle 
Fowl of Southern Asia, from which our domestic chickens have descended, 
and the wild turkeys of America from which our tame turkeys have been 
developed, and it also includes the ancestors of the Guinea Fowl and the 
Peacock. This group receives attention in our chapter on Poultry. The 
other includes the Grouse family, of which we have a number of species 
that are native in the northern states. 
Grouse Family. — These are birds with heavy bodies, and are fine 
game birds. Their similarity to our domestic chickens is quite striking, 
and like them, they scratch the ground to seek food. Hoppers, beetles, 
and other insects form a good portion of their diet, but they also eat seeds 
and other vegetable food. They stay upon the ground, depend upon 
their sober colors to escape observation, and are apt to hide rather than 
fly when danger seems near. Their flight is very swift and they use their 
short wings with such rapidity as to cause a whirring sound. They are 
not able to make long journeys, however, and do not migrate except, 
Perhaps, from prairies to near-by wooded areas. Pheasant, Partridge, 
and Quail are popular names of some of these birds, but just which kind 
