OF NEW ENGLAND. 377 
CHAPTER IV. 
FIFTH ORDER. CoLumBx. 
“ Aw essential character,” says Dr. Coues, “ of birds of this 
order is seen in the structure of the bill: horny and convex 
at the tip, somewhat contracted in the continuity, furnished at 
the base with a soft swollen membrane in which the nostrils 
open. There are four toes, three anterior, generally cleft, but 
occasionally with a slight basal web, and one behind, with a 
few exceptions perfectly insistent or not obviously elevated. 
The feet are never lengthened ; the tarsus is commonly shorter 
than the toes, either scutellate or extensively feathered janteri- 
orly, reticulate on the sides and behind, the envelope rather 
membranous than corneous. The plumage is destitute of after- 
shafts. * * * .” As this order is in North America repre- 
sented but by one family, the well-known pigeons (including 
the doves), it is unnecessary to detail further its peculiar 
features. The two species of New England are excellent 
types. Their habit, however, of feeding their young by regur- 
gitation from the crop may here be remarked. 
The true “Game-birds” (Chapter V), all belong to the 
subclass, Cursores, or ‘terrestrial birds,” and to the two 
orders, Gailinw and Grallatores. The Galline include the 
grouse, with the tarsi more or less feathered, and the par- 
tridges or quail, with naked tarsi. Dr. Coues ranks these as 
subfamilies, dividing our species into Tetraonine, or true grouse, 
and Odontophorinc, or American partridges. The Grallatores 
include the Snipe and Woodcock, who both belong to the same 
family of the suborder Limicole or shore-birds. (It may be 
added that the Odontophorine, or Ortygine, are usually ranked 
as subfamilies of the Perdicide, or partridges, while the grouse 
are ranked separately as Tetraonide. This latter arrangement 
has been followed in this volume.) 
It is to be remarked that the pigeons (Columbide, § 29) 
