GALLIFORMES. 367 



fish-spawn It is said that they sometimes do some harm in 

 corn-fields, but the damage must be comparatively slight. In 

 very cold weather they are found along the coast. The wild 

 duck commences to lay about March in the south of England, 

 later as we proceed northwards. The nest is on the ground 

 generally, and is made of grass lined with down ; in it are 

 laid twelve greenish-grey eggs. The mallard is monogamous in 

 its wild state, but under domestication our varieties which have 

 sprung from it are polygamous. 



The origin of our domestic breeds is no doubt correctly traced 

 back to the Anas bosehas. Darwin says that, " with respect to 

 the origin of the domestic duck, I have considered the case 

 well, and am convinced that all breeds, including the black 

 Labrador and penguin ducks, are the descendants of the com- 

 mon wild duck.'' The Eouen duck very nearly resembles the 

 wild species, only it is larger in form, and I have found that 

 with " in-and-in breeding " they soon become almost identical 

 with the wild species. 



8. Galliformes. 



The Rasores (Galling) or "Scratching Birds" are often 

 spoken of as gallinaceous birds. They are of considerable 

 interest to us, as they contain most of our domesticated birds, 

 such as the Fowls, Turkeys, Guinea-fowls, and Pea-hens. Our 

 game-birds also belong to the Easores — the Partridges, Pheas- 

 ant, Grouse, and Blackcock. These have all a convex-vaulted 

 upper beak, with the nostrils pierced in a membrane -close to the 

 base of the beak and covered by a cartilaginous scale. The legs are 

 strong in the most typical forms, and always with feathers down 

 to the tibio-metatarsal joint. The four toes, of which three are 

 directed forward and one behind, are all armed with thick claws 

 for scratching (fig. 189). The males differ, as a rule, very much 

 in plumage from the females, a distinction recognisable in most 



