422. GALLINACEOUS BIRDS. 



The AlecthelicB bear a great resemblance to the Megapodii, and 

 are natives of the same places : their habits have not been studied 

 as yet. 



The Talegalli, or Tavons, inhabit Australia and New Guinea. 

 They live in low brushwood adjacent to the sea. These birds have 

 a curious plan in building their nests. They scrape together a large 

 quantity of dry leaves, of which they form a conical mound five 

 or six feet high. On the top of this heap they make a hole, in 

 which the female drops two or three eggs, one on the top of the 

 other. The heat produced by fermentation, joined with the rays 

 of the sun, gives suiEcient warmth to hatch them. 



Phasianid^. 



This family is divided into several genera or tribes ; namely. 

 Pheasants, Peacocks, Pintados, Turkeys, and Alectors. 



The Pheasant tribe comprises not only Pheasants proper, but 

 also the Domestic Fowls, the Argus, Tragopans, Roulouls, &c. 

 Their characteristics are as follows : — The head bare; bill stout; 

 wings short and flight heavy; tail largely developed; plumage 

 extremely brilliant, and sometimes splendid. 



All these birds were originally natives of Asia ; some have been 

 naturalised over nearly the whole face of the earth since time 

 immemorial; the Pheasant, however, is not so ^widely spread, 

 although its range has been much increased. 



The Pheasant is remarkable for the extraordinary length of its 

 tail, the middle feathers of which in one species, Eeeves's Phea- 

 sant [Lyramaticus Reevesii), sometimes attain a length of seven 

 or eight feet. It is a bird of slender make, of an elegant form, 

 and the males are adorned with brilliant plumage ; but the hens 

 wear a much more unpretending attire. The sides of the face, 

 and round the eyes, are bare and tuberculous. The stronger sex 

 are provided with spurs. 



There are m&ny species of Pheasant, but there is no obvious 

 difference in their habits. "We shall, therefore, content ourselves 

 with giving an account of the Common Pheasant (Fig. 170), which 

 is the species most widely spread through Europe. 



The introduction of the Pheasant into Europe dates at a very 

 early age, if it is true that it goes back to the expedition of the 



