WILD FOWL OF INDIA 



Tribe Lamellirostees. 



Bill thick, depressed, broad, covered with a soft skin, the 

 tip alone being horny; the edges in most furnished with nu- 

 merous laminae ; wings moderately long, 1st and 2nd quills sub- 

 equal, or 2nd longest. 



The birds of this tribe form a very natural and extensive group, 

 as well marked and recognizable (with perhaps one exception), 

 as that of the Pigeons. The chief characteristic is the bill, which 

 differs from that of all others in being furnished at the edges 

 with thin horny lamellae, more or less numerous and close, which 

 serve as a sieve, allowing the water to pass through, but retaining 

 any particles of food. The bill, moreover, is covered by a soft 

 skin, the tip alone being horny, and this is called the nail or 

 dertram, and is often coloured differently from the other portion. 



Geese and Ducks chiefly frequent fresh waters, marshes, lakes, 

 and rivers ; a few preferring salt water. They feed mostly on 

 vegetable matter, but also on worms and insects, &c, a few only 

 taking fish. Most of them lay numerous eggs, white or greenish, 

 and the young follow their parent as soon as hatched. The 

 majority nidificate on the ground, others on trees or even rocks. 

 Many are migratory, and their flight is generally powerful, and in 

 many rapid. They may be said to represent the Rasores in this 

 order in consequence of their easy domestication, numerous eggs, 

 and the excellent food they afford. 



The sternum is large and wide, but of very thin texture, and 

 has one fissure on each side ; the tongue is very large and fleshy, 

 with the edge toothed ; the gizzard is large and highly muscular, 

 and the caeca generally long, with a long intestinal canal. The 

 trachea of the male is, in many, dilated near the bifurcation 

 into capsules of varied form, and, in some, is elongated and enters 



