CH.IPTEE V. 



GALLINACEOUS BIRDS, 



Under this name Linnaeus included a large number of birds 

 ■which bear considerable analogy to the Domestic Fowl, and mostly 

 included in the Rasores of Illiger. 



The Gallinace^e are essentially land birds, seeking their food 

 on the surface of the soil, and frequently building their nests upon 

 it. They delight in scratching the earth, and in rolling them- 

 selves in the dust. Walking is their habitual mode of jDrogres- 

 sion, as one would at once conclude from observation of their 

 strong legs, and their short and but slightly-bent claws. Some, 

 like the Partridge, are swift runners, having very short wings, 

 which render their flight at once awkward and laborious. In 

 this order of birds we do not find more than two or three 

 migratory species. 



The Gallinaceoe have short arched beaks, which are generally 

 very strong, and well adapted for crushing the husks of the seeds 

 which, with the addition of grubs, insects, and grasses, form their 

 princip)al nourishment. Their large and muscular gizzards, with 

 thick lateral muscles, lined on the interior with a very tough 

 coating or epithelium, are exactly fitted for digesting this kind of 

 food. The triturating power of the Gallinacese is further increased 

 by their habit of swallowing small pebbles, which facilitate the 

 crushing of the grain. 



In certain species (the Domestic Fowl, Pheasant, Turkej^ 

 &c.) the males are armed above the back toe with one or more 



