48 



KEY TO FAMILIES. 



THE LAND BIKDS. 



Order X. GallinsB. — Turkeys, Grouse, Bob-whites, etc. 

 Toes four, the hind one small and elevated 

 above the front ones ; bill generally short, stout, 

 hard, and horny ; wings rather short, the outer 

 primaries curved and much stiffened. 



A. Size very large. . . . Subfamily Meleag- 

 rince : Turkeys, p. 186. 



B. Size smaller. . . . Family Tetraonidce ; 

 Grouse, Bob-whites, etc. (Fig. 27), p. 178. 



Order XI. ColumbsB. — Pigeons and Doves. 

 Toes four, all on the same level, the hind one 

 about as long as the shortest front one; bill 

 rather slender, deeply grooved, the nostrils open- 

 ing in a soft, fleshy membrane or skin. . . . 

 Family Columbidce: Pigeons and Doves (Fig. 

 28), p. 187. 



Fig. 28. 



Fig. 39. 



Order XII. Ra/ptores. — Vultures, Hawks, and Owls. 



Toes four, three in front, the hind one, except in the Vultures, generally 

 as long as or longer than the shortest front one ; all the toes armed with 

 strong, sharp, curved nails or talons ; bill with a cere, or covering of 

 skin, at its base, through which the nostrils open, very stout and strong, 

 the tip of the upper mandible with a sharply pointed hook. 



Fig. 31. 



A. Eyes set in a striking facial disk ; tarsus generally feathered ; plum 

 age soft and fluffy. 



