CRACIDiE, GUANS. MELEAGRIDiE, TURKEYS. GEN. 176, 177. 231 



with a slender aigrette on the head, like a peacock's. The naturalized English 

 pheasant, P. colcMcus, introduced into Britain prior to A. D. 1050, is the type of 

 Phasianus, in which the tail featliers are very long and narrow ; in one species, 

 P. reevesii, the tail is said to attain a length of six feet. The golden and 

 Amherstian pheasants, Glmjsoloplms pictns and amherstke, are singularly beautiful, 

 even for this group. The other genera are Crossoptilon and Pucrasia. New species 

 are still coming to light. 



Family GRACIDM. Curassows. Guans. 



This type is peculiar to America, where it may be considered to represent the 3Iega- 

 2')odidce, though differing so much in habit and general appearance. The affinities 

 of the two are indicated above, and some essential characters noted. According to 

 the latest authority on the family, Messrs. Sclater and Salvin, it is divisible into 

 three subfamilies: Cracince, curassows and hoccos, with four genera and 

 t\Yelve species ; OreopJiasime, with a single species, OreopJiasis derbiamis, and the 



Subfamily PENELOPIN'^'E, Guans, 

 with seven genera and thirtj'-nine species, one of which roaches our border. 



176. Genus OETALIDA Merrem. 



Oi^ Texan Guan. Cldacalaca. Head crested, its sides, and strips oo the 

 chin, naked, but no wattles ; tarsi naked, scutellate ; hind toe insistent, about 

 -J the middle toe ; tail graduated, longer than the wings, of 12 feathers. 

 Length nearly 2 feet; wing 8 J inches; tail 11 ; tarsus 2^^ ; middle toe the 

 same. Dark olivaceous, paler and tinged with l)rownish-3-cllow below, 

 plumbeous on the head; tail green, tipped with wdiite except on the middle 

 pair of feathers; bill and feet plumbeous. Mexico, to Texas. 0. vetula 

 Lawr., Ann. Lye. N. Y. 1851, 116 ; 0. poliocejjJuda Cass., 111. 267, pi. 44 ; 

 0. inaccallii Bd., 611 vetula. 



Family MELEAGRID^. Turkeys, 



Head and upper neck naked, carunculate ; in onr species with a dewlap and 

 erectile process. Tarsi naked, scutellate before and behind, spurred in the $ . 

 Tail broad, rounded, of 14-18 feathers. Plumage compact, lustrous ; in our species 

 with a tuft of hair-like feathers on the breast. One genus, two species. M. ocella- 

 tus is a very beautiful species of Central America. 



177. Genus MELEAGEIS Linnseus. 



"Zf ' Turheij. Upper tail coverts chestnut, with paler or whitish tips ; tail 

 feathers tipped Avitli brownisii-yellow or whitish; 3-4 feet long, etc. Wild 

 in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and southward ; domesticated elsewhere. 

 There is reason to believe that the Mexican bird is the original of the 

 domestic race ; it was upon this form, imported into Europe, that Linna?us 

 imposed the name gallopavo (Fn. Suec. No. 198 ; Syst. Nat. i, 1766, 268), 

 which has generally been applied to the following feral variety. 31. 



