18 CIRCULAR 9 6, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



GUINEA FOWLS 



Game birds suitable also for the South, particularly to supple- 

 ment the bobwhite, with which they would scarcely conflict, are the 

 guinea fowls. The common guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) a 

 native of west Africa, was introduced and has run wild in the Cape 

 Verde Islands, in some of the Greater Antilles, and on Ascension 

 Island. Several other species of guinea fowl occur in Africa, some 

 of which have also been introduced into foreign countries. The 

 guinea fowls evidently are promising material for acclimatization, 

 and it is certain also that they would be popular in the gastronomic 

 sense, for domesticated guineas have long been used by American 

 hotels for " game " dinners. 



MEXICAN QUAIL 



Mexican quail (Colinus virginianus texamis)* extensively intro- 

 duced in the United States, have become established in various States, 

 where as a rule they have hybridized with the native bobwhite. 

 Their introduction, however, is merely a time-saving substitute for 

 propagation measures that should be more generally taken to increase 

 the numbers of the native bird. 



AMERICAN SPECIES 



Possibly in the Western Hemisphere there may be some other spe- 

 cies of game birds that can be used to add to the stock of the United 

 States, but the probability is not so apparent as in the case of the 

 Old World. The rock ptarmigan (Lag opus rupestris) of our Arctic 

 coasts might be successfully introduced on some of the higher moun- 

 tains of the Western States. The pulletlike but noisy chachalaca 

 (Ortalis vetula) from Central America, although scarcely a game 

 bird from the American point of view, has been introduced and has 

 bred successfully on Sapelo Island, Ga.. and the common curassow 

 (Crax globicera) , a pugnacious bird rivaling the wild turkey in size, 

 from the same native home, tried at the same locality, has shown 

 some indications of being adapted for naturalization. The tina- 

 mous (Tinamidse), of southern South America, a group numerous in 

 species and ranging in size from that of quail to that of guinea fowl, 

 inhabit both forested and more open areas. Some are true savanna 

 species, which might succeed in grasslands that are not overgrazed. 

 Whether they would do any better under existing conditions than 

 our native prairie chickens (Tj/mpanuchus americaiius) is unknown, 

 but experimenting with them could do no harm. 



BUSTARDS 



Magnificent game birds that would be distinct acquisitions for our 

 typical ranch country are the bustards, of which there are a num- 

 ber of species in Europe, Asia, and Africa. There is nothing like 

 them in the United States and they have proved their ability to live 

 in populated districts. The great bustard (Otis tarda), a bird of 

 the open country, attaining a weight of from 20 to 30 or more pounds, 

 survives to-day in southern Europe and northern Africa. The lesser 



