74 TYPES OF ANIMAL LIFE 



gallinaceous birds. We come now to our second ques- 

 tion. What is the relation borne by their order (in 

 which the turkey finds its place) to the other ordinal 

 groups of the class of birds ? 



Now the class of birds is remarkable for the great 

 number of species it contains, and the general uniformity 

 of structure which they all possess. There are probably 

 nearer twelve than ten thousand different species of birds, 

 and in order that the human mind may be able to group 

 in the imagination such a multitude of forms, an elab- 

 orate system of classification is evidently necessary. On 

 the other hand, to arrange satisfactorily a multitude 

 of forms, which are very much alike, is obviously a 

 very diflS.cult task. In the early days of ornithological 

 science birds were roughly divided into birds of prey, 

 perchers, scratchers, cooers, climbers, waders, runners, 

 and swimmers. Of these eight primitive sets, it is the 

 " scratchers '' which answer to the gallinaceous group, and 

 they have kept together ; whereas the progress of know- 

 ledge has much divided and modified all the other sections 

 of that primitive arrangement. 



The subject of the classification of birds has greatly 

 exercised naturalists of late years, but to deal adequately 

 with that subject would require a long chapter. The 

 characters made use of to distinguish the various ordinal 

 groups also, are too technical and minute to be given 

 here. We must limit ourselves to a list of types of such 

 groups. 



These will be : i. An immense group of mostly small 

 birds, from the crows and birds of paradise, to the humming 

 birds; 2, the kingfishers and their alUies; 3, the wood- 

 pecker and its kin; 4, the cuckoos; 5, the doves ; 6, the 

 parrots; 7, the eagle and owls; 8, the pelicans; 9, the 

 herons ; 10, the bustards and rails ; 1 1, the gallinaceous 



