406 
GAME-BIRDS. 
conceded that the sound is produced by the outspread wings of the bird being 
brought suddenly downward against the air, without striking anything.” 
The hazel-hens form the last group of the family, and differ from 
HcLZ6l-H6ns • « • 
the ruffled grouse in having the plumage of the sexes different, and 
lacking the conspicuous ruffles on the sides of the neck, while the tail is composed 
of sixteen instead of eighteen feathers. Besides the common species ( Tetrastes 
bonasia) of Northern and Central Europe from Scandinavia to Kamschatka and 
Spain to North China, a peculiar form (T. griseiventris), with the breast and under¬ 
parts sandy grey narrowly barred with black, comes from Perm in East Kussia, 
while a third (T. severtzowi), with the outer tail-feathers black barred with white, 
is found in North-East Tibet. The common species, like its North American ally, 
has two extreme phases of plumage, a rufous and a grey, and every intermediate 
variety of colour can be found. 
Partridges, Pheasants, Turkeys, and Guinea-Fowls. 
Family PHASIANIDM. 
The great bulk of the typical game-birds are included m this family, which 
contains fifty-nine genera, with forty-seven peculiar to the Old World, and 
all the remainder American. In all, the legs and feet are naked, the latter 
never being fringed with horny comb-like appendages as in the grouse, while many 
have the legs armed with one or more pairs of spurs. The family may be divided 
into three subfamilies—the first ( Perdicincc ) including the partridges, francolins, 
and quails, and their allies; the second ( Phasianince ) the true pheasants; and the 
third ( Oclontophorince ) the American partridges and quails, in which the cutting- 
edge of the upper mandible is notched. The division between the two first groups 
is, however, artificial, for the partridges merge into the pheasants, the bamboo- 
partridges ( Bambusicola ), the African and Indian spur-fowls ( Ptilopachys and 
Galloperdix) being the principal intermediate forms. The shape of the wing is 
almost the only character of any importance for distinguishing these groups; all the 
pheasants, except the typical genus, having the first primary quill shorter than the 
tenth, whereas in the partridge the former is equal to or longer than the latter. 
Unfortunately, the exception among the former is the genus Phasianus, which 
has the first primary longer than the tenth; while, on the other hand, in some of 
the partridges the tenth is somewhat the longer. It is only by using the supple¬ 
mentary character of the length of the tail, coupled with the shape of the wing, 
that it can be decided to which of these divisions some of the species should be 
referred. Thus the first group of partridges may be briefly characterised as having 
the first primary quill longer than or equal to (rarely shorter than) the tenth, and 
the length of the tail less, usually much less, than that of the wing. 
Snow-Partridges The snow-partridge ( Lerwa nivicola), inhabiting the higher 
and Snow-cocks. Himalayan ranges and extending eastwards into Western China, 
which is somewhat peculiar in having the upper half of the legs feathered, has the 
plumage of the upper-parts in both sexes black, narrowly barred with white and 
rufous, while the general colour of the breast and under-parts is deep chestnut, and 
