Feet and Legs 383 
cock Pheasant of the East Indies, has two, three, or even 
four spurs of full size on the legs. The bird photographed 
on page 419 had two on the right leg and three on the 
left. Yet these birds are not as correspondingly pug- 
nacious as we should imagine from their increased arma- 
ture. 
There is a small group of peculiar birds, known as 
Sand-grouse, which in many respects stand midway 
Fie. 300.—Spur of Java Peacock. 
between the true grouse and the pigeons. In certain of 
these the toes, to their very tips, are encased in the skin 
of the foot, the effect being of a mitten with only the 
claws free. The reason for this is yet to be found. 
We now come to the water-loving birds, and we find 
that their varying associations with this element have 
wrought many interesting changes in their feet and legs. 
Those birds which are content to wade along the shallow 
margins of ponds and streams require long legs and long 
