CLASS AVES : OBDBK GALLING. 



139 



characterized by a whirring sound. To aid them in scratch- 

 ing, the hind toe is elevated. Their food is first softened in 

 a crop, then mingled with the drink in a second expansion 

 of the gullet, and lastly ground in the gizzard.* To elude 



Argus gigantlvs, Argus Pheasant. A. 



the sharp eye of their enemies, the Raptores, they squat upon 

 the ground and lie quiet — their mimicry corresponding to 

 the herbage they frequent. They are mostly polygamous, 



* This is lined with hard cartilage, and is so strong and mnscnlar as to pulverize 

 glass and metals. The trituration of the food may be distinctly heard by standing^ 

 beside fowls on their roost at night. 



