TETRAONIN^. TETRAO. 
201 
brown, some of them slightly marked on the edges with paler spots ; 
tail dusky, with about eight waved irregular lines of pale brown ; 
lower parts dark brown, copiously marked with roundish white spots. 
Length wing 4|. 
California. 
Welcome Quail, Ortyx neoxenus, ViG. Gard. and Menag. of Zool. Soc. v. ii. p. 311 . 
Welcome Partridge, Perdix neoxenus, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 228. 
FAMILY XXXIL TETRAONIN^. GROUSE. 
Bill short, stout, with the upper mandible convex, thin 
edged, without notches, its tip thin edged, obtuse, the lower 
mandible with the dorsal line slightly convex, the edges 
thin, the tip rounded. Head small, oblong ; neck of mode- 
rate length; body very bulky. Feet short, stout; tarsus 
partially or entirely feathered ; hind toe small, third long, 
lateral nearly equal, all scutellate, anterior webbed at the 
base. Claws moderate or long, arched, rather depressed, 
blunt. Plumage full and soft ; feathers with the plumule 
much developed. Wings rather short, convex, rounded. 
Tail various, of more than twelve feathers. A bare coloured 
space on each side of the neck, usually concealed by the 
feathers ; but in some species capable of being distended so 
as to protrude. A bare red membrane over the eye, more 
developed in the males. Tongue triangular, pointed ; oeso- 
phagus v^^ith an enormous crop ; stomach a very powerful 
gizzard, having the lateral muscles extremely developed, 
the epithehum dense, with two concave grinding surfaces ; 
the intestine long and wide ; coeca excessively elongated, 
cylindrical, with internal longitudinal ridges. Nest on the 
ground, rudely constructed. Eggs numerous, spotted. Y oung 
covered with stif&sh down. 
GENUS I. TETRAO, Linn. GROUSE. 
Bill short, robust ; upper mandible with the dorsal line 
decurved, the ridge convex, narrowed at the base^^ the sides 
