4i6 



The Living Animals of the World 



all of which are confined to Australasia. They are characterised by a huge and very beautiful 

 fan-shaped crest of feathers which springs from the crown of the head. 



At the other extreme stand the Namaqoa and Scaly Doves. The former is regarded by 

 Professor Newton as one of the most graceful in form of all the Pigeon Tribe : the latter are 

 scarcely, if at all, larger than the sparrows. 



The power of flight of some forms is, however, extremely limited ; they bid fair in course 

 of time to become flightless, like the dodo and the solitaire. The most interesting of these 

 is the Geey-naped GtEOUND-figeon. Pigeons for the most part display a marked preference 

 for a life among the trees rather than on the ground ; but there are some which are essentially 

 ground-dwellers. The species in which this changed habit is most deeply rooted, and probably 

 of longest standing, exhibit one very interesting point of difference from their neighbours of 

 the woods. This difference consists in the very considerably longer legs which mark the 

 ground-haunting bird. The Grey-naped Ground-pigeon of South-east New Guinea forms an 

 excellent example, inasmuch as the legs are much longer than in any other pjigeon. These 

 birds (for there are three species in all) resemble the IMegapodes in habit, and frequent hills 

 or dense thickets. They lay one egg, which is deposited at the foot of a tree. 



Among domesticated breeds is the English Pouter, a bird characterised by its enormous 



gullet, which can be distended with air 

 whenever the owner wills. The carriage of 

 the body is \-ertical, not, as in pigeons 

 generally, horizontal. The Carrier is a breed 

 illustrating the result of long-sustained 

 selection to increase, amongst other characters, 

 the development of the bare skin surrounding 

 the eye and beak of all pigeons, wild or tame. 

 In the Short-faced Tumbler we ha\'e a breed 

 wherein those birds with the shortest beaks 

 have been steadily bred from. To-day so 

 little beak is left that some individuals are 

 hatched which, when grown up, are unable to 

 feed themselves. An example of a radical 

 change in the feathers is the Indian Frill- 

 back. In this case the feathers all over 

 the body are reversed, or turned forwards, 

 giving the bird a quite extraordinary appearance. In the Jacobin we have a breed— and we 

 c'ouJd cite others — wherein the feathers of the neck are much elongated, and turn upwards 

 and forwards over the head to form a hood. 



In general appearance Sand-grouse are small, very short-legged birds, with small heads 

 and pointed wings and tail. Their general tone of coloration may be described as sand- 

 coloured, and this has been adopted to render them in liarmony with the barren sand-wastes 

 m which they dwell. But some may be described as quite highly coloured, being banded and 

 splashed with chestnut, black, pearly grey, white, and yellow, according to the species. 



Pallas's Sand-grouse is a native of the Kii-ghiz Steppes, extending through Central Asia to 

 Mongolia and Northern China, and northwards to Lake Baikal, and southwards to Turkestan. 

 Here they may be met with in enormous numbers. In North China large numbers are often 

 caught after a snow-storm. The snow is cleared away, and a small green bean is scattered about, 

 loung sand-grouse differ remarkably in one particular from young pigeons, inasmuch as the 

 former are hatched covered with a thick down, and are able to run about soon after leaving 

 the egg, whilst the pigeon comes into the world very helpless and much in need of clothing. 

 Three eggs are laid by the sand-grouse, and these are double-spotted; whilst the pigeon lays 

 but two, which are white. The eggs of the sand-grouse are laid in a depression in the ground, 

 without any nest. 



FJwto ly L. Mediand, F.Z.a.] [Soiik i'uirldnj. 



MALE IILACK-BELLIED SAND-GUOUSE. 



Young sand-grouse run directly they are hatched, thus diflfering from 



young pigeons. 



