28e VEUTEBRATES. 



heap ; and as they aje delicious eating, they are eagerly sought 

 after." 



When the Brush Turkey is disturbed, it either runs through 

 the tangled underwood with singular rapidity, or springs upon a 

 low branch of some tree, and reaches the summit by a succession 

 of leaps from branch to branch. This latter peculiarity renders it 

 an easy prey to the sportsman. 



The Ptarmigan. — The legs and feet of the Ptarmigans 

 are thickly covered with hair-like feathers, reaching as far as the 

 claws. Their plumage bears a singular analogy to the fur of the 

 ermine and some other quadrupeds, as 

 it changes in winter from a rich tor- 

 toise-shell color to a pure white. The 

 common Ptarmigan inhabits the north- 

 ern parts of Europe and America, and 

 is also found in the north of Scotland, 

 -=-^^as»— - ^ ■»- principally among the mountains. The 

 ' " ^^*«^ ■ color of the bird is so similar to that 



of the mossy and lichen-covered rock 

 among which it dwells, that a whole covey easily eludes an un- 

 practised eye. 



Enormous numbers of Ptarmigans are annually imported 

 from the north of Europe, especially from Norway and Sweden, 

 to the London market. One poulterer has purchased fifteen thou- 

 sand of these birds ; and twenty-four thuusand have been exported 

 in one ship from one place. 



Like that of the . grouse, the Ptarmigan's nest is a loosely- 

 constructed heap of twigs and grass, and contains from ten to 

 fourteen eggs, of a reddish white spotted with brown. 



ORDER V. — RUNNERS. 



To this order belong those birds with very long legs, which, 

 though they have strong wings, yet are incapable of flight, though 

 they run with great rapidity. 



The Ostrich is an inhabitant of Africa and Arabia. Its 

 beak is of a conical shape, its legs long and naked . it has only 



