UC-NRLF B 3 fififi 3H3 i>i t '..JFOR W7 EB 31940 LIBRARY TO THE GALLERY OF BIRDS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY, BRITISH MUSEUM (NATURAL HISTORY). Part I, GENERAL SERIES. SECOND EDITION. WITH 1 PLATE AND 7 TEXT-FIGURES. LONDON PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 1021. Price Two Shillings and Sixpence. GUIDE TO THE GALLERY OF BIRDS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY, BRITISH MUSEUM (NATURAL HISTORY). Part I. General Series. SECOND EDITION. WITH 1 PLATE AND 7 TEXT-FIGURES. LONDON: PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 1921. (All rights reserved.) PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET. TO THE FIRST EDITION. THIS Guide to the General Series of Specimens in the Bird Gallery has been prepared by Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant, Assistant in the Zoological Department. He has also carried out the arrangement of the Bird Gallery in its present form. The visitor should notice that at the side of each recess in the gallery the common names of the kinds of birds there exhibited are displayed in large capitals, whilst a label is placed on the gluss front of each case showing the common name of any specially interesting or well-known bird which is near the label. Further, every specimen has now attached to its stand, not only its name but a number which is a reference number for the Guide. E. RAY LANKESTER. March 16th, 1905. IN view of the increased cost of printing, it has been thought desirable to suspend the publication of -the complete Guide to the Gallery of Birds. This consisted of Parts I. and II. M83129 IV PREFACE. together, an Appendix on the structure of Birds and a series of 25 Plates. A First Edition of Part I., without the Appendix and the Plates, appeared in 1905. The present Guide is practically a reprint (with a few verbal corrections) of that issue, with the addition of the Appendix and Plate XXV. Plates I.-XXIV. can be purchased separately (price Is. 6d.). The statements in the Preface to the First Edition are no longer completely in accordance with the method of labelling adopted in the Bird Gallery. SIDNEY F. HARMER, Director. BRITISH MUSEUM (NAIURAL HISTOKT), Cromwell Road, London, S.W. 7. March, 1921. CONTENTS. PAGK DESCRIPTION- OF THE SPECIMENS IN THE BIRD GALLERY . . 1 APPENDIX ON THE STRUCTURE OP BIRDS 137 INDEX .... , J51 DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIMENS IN THE BIRD GALLERY. IN this Gallery, which is devoted to the exhibition of mounted specimens of the general series of birds, the contents are arranged continuously in the pier-cases, the order commencing on the right hand as the visitor enters, and finishing on the left. Most of the cases occupying the centre and recesses of this Gallery belong to a special series illustrating the nesting-habits of British birds which are described in Part II, published separately, of the Guide. The specimens in the wall-cases and detached cases not belonging to the nesting-series have each a number attached which is referred to in this guide by thick black figures enclosed in brackets. All the species of birds recorded on the British list will be found incorporated with the general series in their proper places, and marked with one of the following numbers on differently coloured discs, which indicate : — (1) Resident. Breeds in this country. (2) Regular summer visitor. Breeds. (3) Regular autumn, winter or spring visitor. Does not breed. (4) Occasional visitor. Used to breed. (5) Occasional visitor. Never known to breed. In addition to the above a complete series of British birds will be found exhibited in the pier-cases in the Pavilion at the end of the Gallery. BIRD GALLERY. The arrangement adopted in the Gallery is as follows :— AVES. Subclass I. SAURUR^:. (Lizard-tailed Birds.) FAMILY. Order Archaeopteryges. ENGLISH NAME. CASK. Archaeopteryx, or Griffon- Right-hand side of bird, entrance to Gallery. V §uM^4iI.^NEORNITHES. (Modern Birds.) Section A. EATIT2E. Struthionidfe Rheidae Order I. Struthioniformes. Ostriches. Order II. Rheiformes. Rheas. Order III. Dinornithiformes . Dinornithidfe Moas. Order IV. .ffipyornithiformes. ^Epyornithidse Madagascar Moas. I. Dromaeidse II. Casuariidfe Apterygidre Tinamidse Order V. Casuariiformes. Emus. Cassowaries. Order VI. Apterygiformes. ........ Kiwis. Order VII. Tinamiformes. ........ Tinamous. 1 and central case in bay. • 1 &2. 8. 8. 4. 5 & 6 and central case. 5. Central table-case. I. Megapodiidae II. Cracidse I. Phasianidae IE. Tetraonidse Section B. CAEINAT^. Order I. Galliformes. Suborder 1. PEEISTEKOPODES. ........ Megapodes, or Mound- builders. Curassows and Guans. Suborder 2. ALECTOROPODES. i Americai)Partridges,G uiut a- -i Fowls, Turkeys, Pheasants, ( Partridges, Quails. Grouse. 9-16 and central case. 17 & 18. CLASSIFICATION. 3 Order II. Pterocletiformes. FAMILY. ENGLISH NAME. CASK. Pteroclidae Sand-Grouse. Table-case. Order III. Turniciformes. Turnicidae Hemipodes, or Bustard-Quails. Table-case. Order IV. Columbiformes. I. Dididae Dodo, Solitaire. Table-cases, and picture in cases 19-20. II. Didunculidae Tooth-billed Pigeon. 19. III. Columbidae Pigeons. 19 & 20. Order V. Ralliformes. I. Rallidse Rails. 22. II. Heliornithidae Finfoots. 22. Order VI. Podicipediformes. Podicipedidas Grebes. 21. Order VII. Colymbiformes. Colymbidas Divers. 21. Order VIII. Sphenisciformes. Spheniscidae Penguins. Central case. Order IX. Procellariiformes. I. Diomedeidse Albatroses. 23. II. Procellariidae Petrels. 23 & 24. Order X. Alciformes. Alcidas Auks. 24. Order XI. Lariformes. I. Stercorariidfe Skuas. 26. II. Laridae Gulls and Terns. 25 & 26. Order XII. Charadriiformes. I. Dromadidne Crab-Plovers. 27. II. Chionididte Sheathbills. 27. III. Attagidse Seed-Snipes. 27. IV. Charadriidse Plovers. 27 & 28. V. Cursoriidae Coursers. 29. VI. Glareolidae Pratincoles. 29. VII. Parridae Jacanas. 29. VIII. CEdicnemidae Stone-Plovers. 29. IX. Otididae Bustards. 29 & 30 and central case. Order XIII. Opisthocomiformes. Opisthocomidaj Hoatzjns. Table-case. BIRD GALLERY. Order XIV. Gruiformes. FAMILY, ENGLISH NAME. OASB. I. Aramidae Limpkins. 31. II. Ehinochetidae Kagus. 31. III. Eurypygidas Sun-Bitterns. 31. IV. Cariamidse Carianias. 31. V. Psophiidse Trumpeters. 31. VI. Gruidje . . '. Cranes. 31 & 32. Order X V. Ardeiformes. I. Ardeidse Herons and Bitterns. 33 & 34. II. Baleenicipitidee . ... Shoe-billed Storks'. 35. III. Scopidae Hammer-head Stork's. 35. IV. Ciconiidse Storks. 35 & 36. V. Ibididfe Ibises. 35. VI. Plataleidaa Spoonbills. 36. Order XVI. Anseriformes. ... i I Mergansers, Ducks, Geese, I 37-42 and I Swans. I central case. Order XVII. Phcenicopteriformes. Phcenicopteridse Flamingoes. 42. Palamedeidae Order XVIII. Palamedeiformes. Screamers. Order XIX. Pelecaniformes, I. Phalacrocoracidee Darters, Cormorants. II. Sulidaa III. Pelecanidse IV. Fregatidas V. Phaethontidse Cathartidee Serpentariidee I. Vulturidaa II. Falconidfe III. Pandionidas "I. Bubonidee II. Strigidaa I. Psittacidse II. Loriidse Gannets. Pelicans. Frigate-birds. Tropic-birds. Order XX. Cathartiformes. Turkey-Vultures. Order XXI. Serpentariiformes. Secretary-birds. Order XXII. Accipitriformes. Vultures. Eagles, Hawks. Ospreys. 42. 43. 43. 44. 44. 44. 45 and table-case. 45. 45 & 46 and table-case. 46-53. 53. Order XXIII. Strigiformes. Horned and Wood-Owls. Barn-Owls Order XXIV. Psittaciformes. True Parrots. Lories or Brush-tongued Parrots. 54 and table-case. 54. 55 & 56. 56. CLASSIFICATION. Order XXV. Coraciiformes. FAMILY. ENGLISH NAME. I. Steatornithidae Oil-birds. II. Podargidae Frog-mouths. III. Alcedinidse Kingfishers. IV. Leptosomatidae Kirombos. V. Coraciidae Rollers. VI. Meropidae Bee-eaters. VII. Momotidse Motmots. VIII. Todidaj Todies. IX. Upupidae Hoopoes. X. Bucerotidae Hornbills. XI. CaprimulgidsB Nightjars or Goatsuckers. XII. Cypselidaa Swifts; XIII. Trochilidaj Humming-birds. XIV. Collide Colies. Order XXVI. Trogoniformes. Trogonidsc Trogons. Order XXVII. Cuculiformes. I. Cuculidae Cuckoos. II. Musophagidse Touracos, I. Rhamphastidae II. Capitonidae HI. Indicatoridse IV. Picidaa V. Bucconidae VI. Galbulidas Eurylsemidaa Meuuridifi I. Pteroptochidae II. Conopophagidas III. Formicariidae IV. Dendrocolaptidae 1. Cotingidae II. Pipridae III. Oxyrhamphidte IV. Tyrannidae Order XXVIII. Piciformes. Toucans. Barbets. Honey-guides. Woodpeckers. Puff-birds. Jacamars. Order XXIX. Eurylaemiformes. Broadbills. Order XXX. Menturiformes. Lyre-birds. Order XXXI. Passeriformes. Section A. MESOMYODI. Group I. TRACHEOPHON.S:. Tapacolas. Conopophagas. Ant-birds. Wood-hewers. Group II. American Chatterers. Manakins. Sharp-bills. Tyrant-birds. CASH. 57. 57. 57. 58. 58. 58. 58. 58. 58. 59&60. 61. 61. 62. 63. 63. 64. 63. 65. 65. 65. 66. 67. 67. 67. 67. 68. 69. 69. 70. 70. BIRD GALLEftY. FAMILY. V. Phytotomidae ENGLISH NAME. Plant-cutters. CASK. 70. 70. 70. 70. 71. 71. 71. 71. 73. 72. 73. 73. 73. 74. 75. 75. 75. 75. 76. 76. 76. 77. 77. 77. 77. 77. 77. 77. 77. 77. 77. 78. 78. 78. 78. 79 & 80. 80. 80. 81. 81 & 82. 82. 82. 82. 83. 83. ntral table-case. Central case. PR & R4_ VI. Pittidse Pittas or Ant-thrushes. VII. Philepittidifi Wattled Ant-thrushes. Vni. Xenicidse New Zealand Bush- Wrens. Section B. ACHOMYODI. Scrub-birds. II. Hirundinidse . . Swallows. III. Muscicapidae . . Flycatchers. IV. Campophagidse . . Cuckoo-Shrikes. V. Pycnonotidas . . Bulbuls. VI. Timeliidfe . . Babblers. VII. Troglodytidfe Wrens. VIII. Cinclidaa Dippers, IX. Mimidae Mocking-birds. X. TurdidiB . . Thrushes. XL Sylviidse Warblers. XII. Vireonidse . . Greenlets. XIII. Ampelidse . . Chatterers. XIV. Artamidae . . Swallow-Shrikes. XV. Vangidae Madagascar Shrikes. XVI. Prionopidae . . WTood-Shrikes XVII. Laniidae , . Shrikes or Butcher-birds XVIII. Paridas . . Tits or Titmice XIX. Panuridae . . Bearded Tits XX. Chamaeidae Wren-Tits XXI. Kegulidaj . . Golden-crested Wrens XXII. Sittidse . . Nuthatches XXIII. Certhiidse . . Tree-Creepers XXIV. Zosteropidas , . White-eyes XXV. Dicseidse . . Flower-peckers XXVI. NectariniidsB Sun-birds XXVII. Drepanididae . . Hawaiian Honey-suckers XXVIII. Meliphagid» . . Honey-suckers XXIX. Mniotiltidaa American AVarblers XXX. Motacillidae . . Wagtails and Pipits XXXI. Alaudidae . . Larks. XXXII. Fringillidce . . Finches and Buntings XXXIII. Coerebidaa . American Creepers XXXIV. Tanagridaj . . Tana°"ers XXXV. Ploceidse . . \Veaver-Finche^ XXXVI. Icteridae ... Han "'-nests XXXVII. OriolidiB Orioles XXXVIII. Dicruridse , . Droncos XXXIX. Eurycerotidae Madagascar Starlin°s XL. Eulabetidre XLI. Sturnidae . Starlings XLII. Ptilonorhvnchidas Bower-birds Ce XLIII. Paradiseidae , Paradise-birds XL1V. Corvidae Crowe. STRUTHIOUS BIRDS. ' [Right-hand side of entrance Subclass I. SATJIlUR.3i]. to Gallery. Restoration and framed cast of fossil remains.] Fossil remains, hitherto only found in the lithographic slate of Solenhofen, in Bavaria, indicate that birds existed in the Upper Jurassic geological age, differing in certain points from those now existing. The jaws were armed with teeth, and the three digits of the fore-limb were furnished with claws. The tail consisted of a series of elongated vertebrae, gradually tapering to the extremity, each vertebra bearing a pair of well-developed feathers. As the skeleton of the tail rather resembled that of a Reptile than that of a modern Bird, the name Saurura, signifying ' Lizard- tailed/ has been applied to the group. The best known representative of this subclass is the Archceopteryx lithographica (1 ). A cast of the fossil remains of this remarkable form is exhibited at the entrance to the Bird Gallery. For full particulars the reader is referred to the ninth edition of the " Guide to the Fossil Mammals and Birds," pp. 93-95 (1909). Subclass II. NEORNITHES. This Subclass includes all the remaining forms, both recent and fossil, included in the Class Aves, and may be divided into two sections : A. Ratitce, and B. Carinatce. The first contains the Struthious Birds and the Tinamous, and the second all the existing Birds not included in the previous division. Section A. RATIT^E. STEUTHIOUS BIRDS AND TINAMOUS. In this Subclass are included all the great flightless species of the Ostrich-tribe commonly known as the Struthious Birds, as well as the Tinamous. The name Ratitae is derived from the raft-like breast-bone of the former, which is devoid of a keel for the attachment of the pectoral muscles. As these muscles gradually ceased to be used they became degenerate, the keel for their attachment disappeared, and, as a result, the birds lost the power of flight. Though at the present period represented by comparatively few members, which are confined to Africa, the Papuan group of islands, Australia, New Zealand, and South America, the " Ratites " were formerly much more numerous in species, and ranged over parts of the earth where they have long since ceased to exist. A number of fossil forms are known. The Ratitse may be distinguished from all other birds by the bones o!; the palate, the pterygoid never forming a jointed articulation with 8 BIRJ) GALLERY. the palatine, but forming a close union either by fusion or by over- lapping suture with the base of the vomer. The majority of the members of this group have become flightless, a fact which has brought about many modifications of the skeleton and feathers. The Tinamous alone have retained the power of flight. The Ratitse are divisible into seven Orders, probably derived from three distinct stocks. Each Order can be readily defined, and presents one or more points which indicate extreme specialization. On account of the structure of the palate, the members of this section may be regarded as the most primitive of living birds. The seven Orders of the Ratitse are the following : — 1. Struthioniformes . One genus, Struthio. 2. Rheiformes Two genera, Rhea and Pterocnemia. 3. Dinornithiformes • ) _T „. . , .„ > Numero us genera. Extinct forms. 4. ^Bpyornithiformes ) 5. Casuariiforrnes ... Two genera, Casuarius and Dromaus. 6. Apterygiformes . . . One living genus, Apteryx, and two extinct genera. 7. Tinamiformes ,.. Numerous genera. The characters by which the Orders are distinguished are fully explained in the table-case in the first bay. Order 1. STRUTHIONIFORMES. OSTRICH-TRIBE. in Bay.jj Though closely allied to the Rheas, which they resemble in general appearance, the members of this order may be at once distinguished from all others by possessing only two toes. Of these the one corre- sponding to the middle of the three anterior toes in ordinary birds (the third of the complete set) is much the largest and supports the greater part of the weight. It bears a stout pointed nail. The smaller outer (or fourth) toe often wants the nail. The whole of the head and neck as well as the legs are bare, or only covered with short down. The body- feathers are single, having no aftershaft, and the feathers of the wings and tail (corresponding to the ' remiges ' and 'rectrices* of ordinary birds) are of considerable size, but soft and plumose. Family STRUTHIONID^E. OSTRICHES. The Ostriches, the largest of living birds, are represented by the single genus Struthio, which contains at least four living species OSTRICHES. 9 inhabiting Africa and Arabia. In former times their range was much more extensive, and fossil forms have been found in the Pliocene of the Siwalik Hills of India and in the Upper Miocene of Samos. The Common or Northern Ostrich (S. camelus} (3) is found in Northern arid Western Africa, and ranges eastwards to Abyssinia, Arabia, and South Palestine ; a somewhat different form, the Masai Ostrich (S. massaicus) (3 a), inhabits East Africa; in Somali-land and Central Africa S. molybdophanes occurs ; and in South Africa its place is taken by S. australis (2), which is exhibited in all stages of plumage, from the nestling to the adult, in the central Case. The males are larger than the females, standing about eight feet high, and in all the species are black with white wings and tail. They may, however, be readily distinguished inter se, for S. camelus and S. massaicus have the skin of the head and neck of a bright flesh- colour, while in the other two species it is grey ; S. camelus and S. molybdophanes have a horny shield on the crown, which is wanting in S. massaicus and S. australis. The plumage of the females and young males is brownish-grey. The general tint of the eggs laid by all four species is pale cream-colour, but the texture of the shell differs greatly. Ostriches inhabit the sandy wastes and deserts, as well as districts studded with low bushes, and are often found associating with herds of zebras and antelopes. Though as many as fifty individuals may some- times be seen in company, they are more often met with in parties of five or six, especially during the breeding-season, when the polygamous male is accompanied by several hens. The hens belonging to one male lay their eggs in the same nest, which is a shallow excavation dug in the sand. As many as thirty eggs are sometimes deposited in the pit, and many more are dropped around which are said to serve as food for the newly-hatched young. The contents of an egg are equal to about two dozen hen's eggs. The male undertakes nearly the whole duty of incubation, which lasts for six or seven weeks, being occasion- ally relieved by the hens during the daytime. He especially looks after the nest at night, and broods over the eggs, though in many tropical countries the latter are covered over with sand and left to the heat of the sun during the daytime. The Ostrich was formerly much hunted for the sake of its curled plumes, but since the establishment of Ostrich-farms the chase, except for sport, has been almost abandoned. On the large South African farms, where numbers of birds are annually reared, the plumes are plucked every six or nine months. 10 BIRD GALLERY. Order II. RHEIFORMES. RHEA-TRIBE. [Cases 1 & 2>J In South America the place of the Ostriches of the Old World is taken by an allied group of birds called Rheas, or ''American Ostriches/' which are distinguished by certain structural characters, and externally by the presence of three toes furnished with compressed claws, by the fully-feathered head and neck, and by the absence of a conspicuously feathered tail. The wings also are proportionately larger, and are covered with long slender plumes. As in the Strut hionidce, the body-feathers are single, without an aftershaft, a character which separates these birds from the Emus and Cassowaries. Family RHEIDJE. RHEAS. The Rheas include three South American species, viz. : — Roth- schild's Rhea (Rhea rothschildi] (4), found from Southern Brazil and Bolivia southwards; the Great-billed Rhea (R. americana) inhabiting North-east Brazil; and Darwin's Rhea (Pterocnemia pcnnata) (6), from the southern part of the continent. All bear considerable resemblance ' to their African allies, and are often called " South American Ostriches/' but they are smaller and easily distinguished by the characters already mentioned. They inhabit the great Pampas and scrub-covered plains in larger or smaller flocks, often associating with deer and guanacos. In the month of July the pairing-season begins, and the males then utter a deep resonant booming noise and give vent to various weird sounds. The young males are driven from the flock, and the cock birds fight viciously with one another for the possession of the females. The battles are conducted in a curious manner, the combatants twisting their long necks together and biting at each other's heads with their beaks, while they turn round and round in a circle, pounding the ground with their feet. The females of the flock all lay together in a natural depression of the ground, each hen laying a dozen or more eggs. If the females are many, the male usually drives them away before they finish laying, and commences to sit. The hens then drop their eggs about the plains, and, from the large number of wasted eggs found, it seems probable that more are dropped out of the nest than in it. The colour of the egg when fresh is a fine golden yellow. The young when hatched are assiduously tended and watched over by the cock-bird, who charges an intruder with outstretched wings. Rheas take readily to water, and can swim across a river several hundred yards wide, the body being almost entirely submerged. They are easily acclimatized, and often kept in parks in this country, where they frequently breed. The feathers are of little commercial value, MOAS. 11 Order III. DINORNITHIFORMES. Family DINORNITHID^. MOAS. [Case 3.] New Zealand was formerly inhabited by a gigantic race of birds called Moas, some species of which considerably exceeded in size the modern Ostriches. The situation and state of preservation of the abundant remains which have been found indicate that they existed till comparatively recent times, and were probably exterminated by the present Maori inhabitants of the islands. Feathers which have been found associated with the bones show the presence of a large after- shaft, as in the Emus and Cassowaries ; but some of the species resemble the Kiwis (Apteryx] in possessing a hind toe. Wings were absent, and the shoulder-girdle was only represented by a vestige. The Moas are represented by several genera, the largest member being Dinornis maximus (7), a gigantic bird, of which a skeleton is exhibited. Some of the species seem to have survived until about four or five hundred years ago, or even later in the South Island, but being flightless, their extinction by the natives, who hunted them for their flesh, was an easy task. Besides large quantities of bones, some of which have been obtained from native cooking-places, portions of the skin and feathers have been discovered, as well as pebbles used to aid digestion, and eggs both whole and fragmentary. For further particulars the visitor is referred to the ninth edition of the " Guide to the Fossil Mammals and Birds," p. 92(1909). Order IV. ^PYORNITHIFORMES. Family ^EPYORNITHID^:. MADAGASCAR MOAS. Fossil remains from superficial deposits in Madagascar show the existence, in a very recent geological period, of several species of Ratite birds, which bear much resemblance to the Dinornithida. One of their most striking characteristics was the enormous size (both absolute and relative) of the egg, in which respect they resemble the Kiwis (Apteryx) of New Zealand rather than the.M-oas. The largest species, ^Epyornis titan (8), of which a cast of the leg is exhibited, stood about 10 feet high, and its eggs exceed all others in size, some of the shells containing from two to three gallons of liquid, or an amount equal to the contents of about one hundred and fifty hen's eggs. An example exhibited measures : — long circumference 2 ft. 9 ins., girth 2 ft. 5 ins. These birds are believed by many to be identical with the famous "Hoc" mentioned by the traveller Marco Polo, and it is supposed that some of the species were in existence not more than two hundred years ago. [<7/. Fossil Guide, p. 92 (1909).] 12 BIRD GALLERY. Order V. CASUARIIFORMES. EMUS AND CASSOWARIES. la the two families (Dromceidee. and Casuariida] comprising this order the wings are still more reduced in size and the " fingers " are represented by one claw-bearing digit. The body-feathers have an aftershaft or accessory plume as long as the main feather. Family I. DROM^EID^:. EMUS. FCase 4.1 ^ne Emus agree with the Cassowaries in possessing a large after- shaft to the body- feathers, but the bill is broad and flat, the head and upper part of the neck have a scanty hair-like covering, and horny casque, helmet and ornamental wattles are wanting. The wings are exceedingly small and, like the tail, entirely concealed beneath the general covering of feathers. The three toes have claws of similar form and nearly equal size. The only species surviving at the present time is the common Emu (Dromteus novee-hollandia) (9), which inhabits Australia. A small Black Emu (D. parvulus) was formerly found on the Island of Decres or Kangaroo, but is now extinct and known only from two specimens preserved in the Paris Museum and from a skeleton in the Museum at Florence. It is possible that a third species existed within recent times, for the Tasmanian form was apparently distinct from the Australian species. These great birds frequent the desert sandy plains and open bush-districts, feeding on fruit, roots, and herbage ; they are very keen- sighted, and, like their allies, run with great rapidity. Unlike the Kheas and Ostriches, they are monogamous, though found in small parties after the breeding-season. The female deposits her eggs, from seven to thirteen or more in number, in a hollow scratched in the ground, and the male performs the duties of incubation, which last for about eight weeks. The young are greyish-white, beautifully striped with black, and the eggs when first laid are of a rich sap-green, but this colour gradually fades to dull greenish-black. The female is rather smaller than the male, and both sexes possess a remarkable pouch formed by the inner lining of the windpipe. This pouch leaves the trachea through a slit in the anterior wall, and can be inflated at the will of the bird. The inflation is probably connected with the low, resonant, booming note uttered during the nesting-season. Owing to the constant persecution to which they are subjected, Emus are becoming scarcer year by year. Being hardy birds they are easily domesticated and breed readily in parks both in this country and in Europe. A fossil species occurs in the Pleistocene of Queensland and New South Wales. CASSOWARIES. 13 Family II. CASUARIIDJE. CASSOWARIES. The Cassowaries (10-20) resemble the Emus (Dromaidee) andtheMoas [Cases 5, (Dinornithida) , inasmuch as the feathers clothing the general surface of the body appear to be double, the aftershaft or accessory plume being as long as the main feather. They differ, however, in the peculiar structure of the wing, which is extremely small and has the quill-feathers reduced in number to five or six. These consist of stout bare shafts without any barbs, and project conspicuously beyond the body-feathers. The bill is compressed, the top of the head carries a horny casque or helmet, varying in form in the different species, and some part of the neck is bare, generally more or less ornamented with caruncles or wattles and brightly coloured. The inner toe is armed with a long sharp, powerful claw. About fourteen species are known, and with the exception of the Australian Cassowary (Casuarius australis) (10), which is found in the Cape York Peninsula and extends as far south as Rockingham Bay, all are natives of the Papuan group of islands extending eastward to New Britain. They inhabit the dense forests and scrub, and are never met with in the open plains. The nest — a mere depression among the fallen leaves and debris below bushes and undergrowth — contains from three to six large eggs of a bright green colour. Incubation lasts for about seven weeks, and, as in the allied forms, is performed by the male bird, who also tends the young when hatched. The nestlings are clothed in rusty brown with darker stripes, and at a later period become more tawny, finally assuming the glossy black hair-like plumage of the adult. The wattles and bright colours on the neck are assumed at a compara- tively early period, but the helmet is very gradually developed. Casso- waries run with great swiftness, and when evading pursuit leap over high obstacles with wonderful agility ; they are also strong swimmers, and able to cross wide rivers with ease. Their cry is a loud, harsh, quickly repeated guttural sound audible at a great distance. Their skin is manufactured into mats and head-ornaments by the natives. Order VI. APTERYGIFORMES. Family APTERYGID^:. KIWIS. (Plate I.) The Kiwis are the smallest of the flightless Ratitcp, and differ from all [Case 5.] existing forms of Struthious birds in possessing a small hind toe or hallux and in the length of the bill, the nostrils of which are placed near the tip, instead of at the base as is the case in most birds. The feathers have no aftershaft. The wings are so small that they are completely concealed by the general body-clothing, and there is no visible tail. 14 BIRD GALLERY. [Case 15.1 The legs and feet are very stout and the claws long, curved, and sharp- pointed. The four or five known species are all natives of New Zealand. They are nocturnal birds and sleep during the day in some secluded retreat in burrows in the ground or under tree-roots; in the dusk they are lively enough, creeping quietly about in search of worms, insects, and berries, for which they hunt with a continual sniffing sound, much like that made by a hedgehog. Though formerly common at low elevations, they are now chiefly met with on the slopes of the mountains, where the dense undergrowth affords them some protection from their enemies. Though found in small flocks at certain seasons of the year, they separate off in pairs in the breeding-season. The nest is merely an enlarged space at the end of a burrow, lined with dry fern and herbage, and contains one or two very large white eggs, enormous compared with the size of the bird, and equal to about a quarter of its weight. The male performs most, if not all, of the duties of incubation. The loud whistling note, from whence the name Kiwi is derived, is chiefly uttered on bright nights. The Maories greatly esteem the flesh of these birds, and the systematic way in which they are hunted must sooner or later end in their extermination. Mantell's Kiwi (A. mantelli) (21), inhabiting the North Island. Shaw's Kiwi (A. australis) (22) [PI. I.], a smaller form from the South Island, and A. lawryi, of Stewart Island, are streaked species ; while Owen's Kiwi (A. owtni) (23) and Haast's Kiwi (A. haasti} (24), occurring both in the North and South Islands, belong to a dif- ferently marked group, with the feathers transversely marked with blackish bars. Order VII. TIN AMI FORMES. Family TINAMID^E. TINAMOTJS. [Central The Tinamous are sometimes placed at the end of the subclass of table- Cariuate Birds, the sternum being provided with a keel, while all the CMS" members are capable of flight ; but they agree so well in their other osteological characters with the Struthious group that they are here included in the same subclass. The Tinamous are Partridge-like birds inhabiting Mexico and Central and South America, and vary in size from species as large as a Fowl to birds no larger than a Quail. The bill is rather long and generally somewhat curved, the head small, the neck long and rather thin, the wings short and rounded, and the tail-feathers greatly abbreviated and more or less concealed by the upper tail-coverts, from which in many cases they are hardly distinguishable. Most of the genera possess four TINAMOUS. 15 toes, the hind toe or hallux being generallv developed. Powder-down patches are present near the rump in certain forms. The eggs are specially remarkable, being highly glossed or burnished, and unlike those of any other bird. Between sixty and seventy species are enumerated in the most recent treatise on the group. All are essentially ground-birds, and rarely perch, but haunt the undergrowth of thick forests, grassy flats inter- spersed with bushes, or open pampas. They are great runners, and generally difficult to flush; but once on the wing, their flight is strong and swift. The cry is a mellow whistle composed of several notes, and varies somewhat in the different species. The nest, a hole scraped in the ground under the shelter of some bush or tuft of grass, is lined with dry herbage and leaves, and, as in the Struthious birds, the male undertakes the duties of incubation. The number of eggs is said to vary from four to sixteen, the latter number being probably the produce of more than one female. The eggs vary in colour in the different genera, some being vinous, reddish-chocolate, or dull purple, others dark blue, bluish-green, sage-green, or primrose-colour, and the shell in all 7'esembles glazed porcelain or burnished metal. In all the Tinamous the plumage is inconspicuous, the general colour being some shade of brown, greyish or buff, more or less mottled and barred. One of the largest species is Tinamus solitarlus (25), a native of Paraguay and Southern Brazil ; but the most familiar is the Rufesceut Tinamou (Rhynchotus rufescens) (27), found in the open pampas from Brazil southwards, and known as the "Perdiz grande." It has been introduced into England, and stands our climate well ; but as a game- bird it cannot be called a success, being of solitary habit and difficult to flush. Once on the wing its flight is very fast and extraordinarily noisy; with constantly vibrating wings, the bird flies straight away for about 1000 yards before it slopes gradually to the earth. Of the other genera belonging to this section possessing a hind toe (Tinaminae} examples will be found in Nothoprocta perdicaria (28) and several species of Crypturus (29-32). Two genera have no hind toe and form the section Tinamotidince; examples of these will be found in Tinamotis pentlandi (33) and Calopezus eleyans (34), the latter remarkable for its long crest of black feathers. 16 BIRD GALLERY. Section B. C A R I N A T 35. CAEINATE BIRDS. All existing birds which do not belong to the Ratitte are included in one great division — the Carinata — characterised by the fact that the pterygoid bone articulates with the palatine by means of a joint. The voraer is much reduced or absent. In some few birds belonging to several different subdivisions of this great group the keel of the breast-bone is extremely reduced in size, and the power of flight is almost or entirely lost, as is the case in the flightless Ratitse. The division of the Carinatce into orders and families, and the mutual relations of these groups to one another, are subjects of great difficulty upon which zoologists are by no means as yet agreed. The classification adopted in this gallery, which represents the general result of much recent work, must therefore be looked upon as provisional. Thirty- one Orders are recognised in this scheme. Order I. GALLIFORMES. GAME-BIRDS. This order is composed of the great bulk of the species commonly known as " Game "-Birds. Nearly 400 different kinds are known, forming a well-defined group. The bill is short and stout, the upper mandible being arched and overhanging the lower mandible. The body is well built and robust, the great development of the pectoral muscles giving these birds a well- fed, sturdy appearance. The legs and toes are fairly long and strong and well adapted for walking and running, and the latter are provided with stout curved claws, suitable for scratching and digging up roots, insects, and other food. The hind toe is always present, but varies in size and position. The feathers covering the body are provided with a well-developed aftershaft. The young when hatched are covered with soft, beautifully patterned down (except in the Megapodes, vide infra), and are able to run within a few hours of the time they emerge from the shell. The eggs, especially of the smaller species, are often numerous, and, when spotted, have only a single set of surface-marks, which are easily removed, none of the pale underlying spots characteristic of the Sand-Grouse, Hemipodes, and Wading-birds being found. Two Suborders are recognised. GAME-BIRDS. 17 Suborder I. PERISTEROPODES. The first suborder of the Game-Birds includes two families, which are easily distinguished by the following characteristics : — The hind toe (hallux) is on the same level as the other toes, and the inner notch of the breast-bone (sternum) is less than half the length of the entire breast- bone. The first family includes the Megapodes and Brush-Turkeys (Megapodiidce) ; the second the Curassows, Penelopes, and Guans (Cracidce). Family I. MEGAPODIID^E. MEGAPODES. The Megapodes or Mound-builders are remarkable not only in having [Case 7.1 the oil-gland at the base of the tail nude, but for their peculiar nesting- habits, which possess the highest interest. The eggs, which are very large for the size of the birds, are laid at considerable intervals, and either deposited in holes dug in the sand or in a mound of soil and decaying vegetable matter raised by one or more pairs of birds. The young are hatched as in an incubator by the warmth of the mound or sand, without the aid of the parent birds, and on leaving the shell are fully feathered, able to fly and take care of themselves. In all the species the legs and feet are very large and strong, and well adapted for digging and scratching. Of the true Megapodes — all dull-coloured birds — examples will be found in Megapodius cumingi (37) and M. freycineti (38). Like most of the other members of this family, they form a nesting-mound by kicking the soil and dead vegetable matter backwards into a common centre, thus forming a large heap, which is usually situated in dense jungle. By the efforts of successive generations this sometimes attains incredible dimensions, one instance being on record where the circumference round the base of the mound was no less than 150 feet. Each mound is said to be the property of one pair only, and the female having deposited her eggs and covered them up, leaves them to be incubated by the heat of the accumulated decomposing matter. As may be seen by the young of M. cumingi (37) taken from the mound, the young bird when hatched is well-feathered and able to fly. The egg is remarkably large in proportion to the size of the parent. The most handsomely marked members of the group are Wallace's Megapode (Eulipoa wallacei) (40), from the Moluccas, and Lipoa ocellata (41), from Southern and Western Australia. To the same family belong the Australian Brush-Turkeys (Catheturus] (43) and their allies from New Guinea (Talegallus) (42). The most remarkable is the Maleo (Megacephalon maleo) (39), a native of Celebes, with its delicate pink breast and an ornamental bare knob on the head. c 18 BIRD GALLERY. Unlike the other members, this bird makes no mound, but lays its eggs, which are deposited at intervals of ten or twelve days, in holes in the sand on the sea-beach just above high- water mark. The birds visit the shore in pairs. Several females deposit their eggs in the same hole, and having covered them with sand return to the forest and take no further notice of them. Family II. CRACID.E. CURASSOWS AND GUANS. [Cases The Curassows and Guans are distinguished from the Megapodes '» &] by having a tufted oil-gland, and differ entirely in their breeding- habits. The eggs, which are white and usually two in number, are laid in a nest made either in a tree or on the ground, and are incubated in the usual manner. The young when hatched are covered with down. Nearly sixty species are known, all inhabitants of the forest -regions of Central and South America, where they seem to take the place of the larger Game-Birds of the Old World. They may be grouped into three subfamilies : — A. With the upper mandible higher than broad (1. Cracinae}. B. With the mandible broader than high and with the top of the head mostly naked, and having an elevated cylindrical, occipital helmet (2. Oreophasince) , or, with the top of the head feathered and without a helmet (3. Pene- lopince). The true Curassows have the feathers on the top of the head semierect and curled at the extremity, and are represented by Crax alector (44), a native of the northern parts of South America. Some of the allied species differ in having a swollen knob at the base of the upper mandible, and wattles at the base of the lower. They are readily domesticated in their native country and are valued as food. One of the most remarkable is Lord Derby's Mountain-Pheasant (Oreophasis derbianus) (46), with its curious helmeted head, the sole representative of its subfamily. This species is only found in Guatemala, and is apparently restricted to the higher forests of the Volcan de Fuego. Like the Curassows and Guans, it feeds on fruits in the higher branches of the forest-trees during the early morning, and as day advances descends to the underwood, where it spends its time basking or scratching among the leaves. The Guans and Penelopes form the last subfamily, which includes six genera and contains the majority of the species. Of the Penelopes (Penelope) (47-51), five species are exhibited, and may be recognised by their naked chin and throat with a median wattle. The Black Penelope (Penelupina nigra) (52), from the highlands of Guatemala, is the sole representative of the second genus, in which the sexes differ in plumage, GAME-BIRDS. 19 the female being barred with rufous. The Guans (Ortalis) (63-55), of which three species are shown, are very similar birds to the two former, but there is a thin band of feathers down the middle of the naked throat, and no wattle. The remaining three genera, Pipile (56), Aburria (57), and Chamtepetes (58, 59), are remarkable in having the inner web of the first two or three flight-feathers deeply excised. Suborder II. ALECTOROPODES. TRUE GAME-BIRDS. * This group includes the Pheasants, Partridges, and Grouse, which normally nest on the ground. They are characterised by having the hind toe (hallux] raised above the level of the other toes, and by having the inner notch of the breast-bone (sternum) more than half the length of the entire sternum. Family I. PHASIANID^E. PHEASANTS, PARTRIDGES, AND QUAILS. The large number of Game-Birds comprising this family are distinguished from the Grouse by the following characters. The nostrils are never hidden by feathers, and the legs are either feathered partially as in the Snow-Partridges (Lerwd) (164) or wholly naked and often armed with one or more pairs of spurs. The toes are always devoid of feathers and never pectinate along the sides, the horny comb-like appendages so characteristic of the Bare-toed Grouse being invariably absent. This great family has been divided into the subfamilies Odonto- phorinae, Phasianince, and Perdicinae, the first containing the American Partridges and Quails, the second the Pheasants and Peacocks with their allies the Turkeys and Guinea-Fowls, and the third the Old- World Partridge-like forms. Subfamily I. Odontophorince. American Partridges and Quails. The American Partridges (Odontophorince) are distinguished by [Case 9.] having the cutting-edge of the lower mandible serrated or provided with a tooth-like process, well marked in the great majority of species, but in some instances less distinct. The Scaly Partridge (Callipepla squamata) (60) is a native of the high barren plateaus of Mexico and the States immediately to the north. In both sexes the black edges to the feathers give the plumage a scaled appearance. Of the Crested Quails (Eupsychortyx) eight small species are known to inhabit Central America and the north-west of South America. An example of this group may be seen in the White-faced Crested-Quail (E. leucopogori) (82). 20 BIKD GALLERY. fCa 9 1 Closely allied to the Crested Quails are the Colins or Bob-whites ' (Ortyx), of which ten different kinds are found in the United States of N. America and Mexico, distinguished from the last genus by the absence of a crest. Of these the best known is the Virginian Colin or Bob-white (O. virginianus) (61), from the Eastern United States, which has been introduced into various parts of the Old World. This is the most prolific of North American Game-Birds, the number of eggs varying from twelve to eighteen. As many as thirty-seven eggs have been found in one nest, but they were doubtless the product of more than one hen. One of the most beautiful forms is the Plumed Partridge or Mountain-Quail (Oreortyx pictus) (64), found in the Sierras of the Western States of North America. Both male and female are nearly alike in plumage, and have a very long crest composed of two feathers. The next genus includes three species, of which the beautiful Cali- fornian Quail (Lophortyx calif ornicus) (66) is a familiar example frequently to be seen in aviaries. It inhabits the brush- covered hills and canons of the Western States of North America, ascending in Lower California to an elevation of about 9000 feet. The Harlequin- Quails (Cyrtonyx), often known as " Fool-Quails >} on account of their extreme tameness, are found in Central America, Mexico, and the States immediately to the north. Of the three species known the Massena Quail (C. montezuma;} (66) is the handsomest, and inhabits the rocky ravines among the higher ranges, being found in summer at elevations of from 7000 to 9000 feet. Larger birds of this group are the Thick-billed Partridges (Odunto- phorus] (67-69), of -which more than a dozen species are known from the forests of Central and South America. They seldom fly if they can avoid doing so, and when flushed betake themselves to the branches of trees. Another forest bird is the Long-nailed Partridge (Dactylortyx thoracicus) (78), a Central American form, remarkable, like the Harlequin-Quails, for its very long and nearly straight claws. Four rather large species of Long-tailed American Partridge (Den- drortyx) (71, 72) are known from the mountain-forests of South Mexico and Central America. Two of these are exhibited, and are easily recognised by their short stout bill and comparatively long tail. 4 Between the second and third subfamilies of the Phasianida there appears to be no real line of demarcation, the Pheasants and Peacocks (Phasianina) and the Old- World Partridges (Perdicinte) being in- timately connected with one another by such forms as the Bamboo- GAME-BIRDS. 21 Partridges (Bambusicola), the Stone- Pheasants (Ptilopachys), and the Indian Spur-Fowl ( Galloperdix) . The shape of the wing is perhaps the most important distinguishing mark, and when taken in connection with the length of the tail is a useful, if somewhat artificial, character. In all the Phasianince, with the exception of the two genera Phasianus and Calophasis, the first flight-feather is much shorter than the tenth, and it is only by using the combined characters of the shape of the wing and length of the tail that the two groups can be separated. Subfamily II. Phasianinee. Pheasant-like Game-Birds. The Pheasants and their allies the Turkeys and Guinea-Fowl may be recognised by the following characters. The cutting-edge of the lower mandible is not serrated or provided with a tooth-like process. The first flight-feather is usually shorter, generally much shorter than the tenth, rarely equal to it, except in the true Pheasants (Phasianus) and the Barred-backed Pheasants (Calophasis), but as these possess very long tails, they are at once seen to belong to the Phasianinee. The most perfect type of Pheasant-wing is found in the Argus Pheasants (Argusianus) , where the first flight-feather is the shortest and the tenth the longest. As might be expected from the shape of the wing these birds rarely fly, and always prefer to escape by running very swiftly through the densest jungle. [Casea The Turkeys (Meleayris) from North and Central America are 9 & 1°0 among the largest and handsomest members of the group. The chief characteristics of adult birds are the fleshy wattles, which ornament the naked head and neck, and the erectile fleshy process on the fore- head. Of the four North American forms a representative will be found in the American Turkey (M. americand) (73). This is a woodland- bird, generally found in flocks, which seek their food on the ground by day and roost in the highest trees. Though still found in considerable numbers in the Southern and Central United States this species was formerly abundant over a much wider range, but constant persecution has exterminated it in the Northern and Western States, and changed a once by no means shy bird into the most cunning and wary of all the Game-Birds. The Mexican Turkey (M. gallopavo), a mountain species inhabiting the high tablelands of North Mexico and the neighbouring States up to an elevation of 10,000 feet, is interesting as being the species from which the domestic breed of Turkey was originally derived. It differs from the American Turkey in having the upper tail-coverts arid tail-feathers broadly tipped with white. The most beautiful is undoubtedly the Honduras Turkey (M. ocellata) (74), from Central America, the colouring of the naked head, brilliant metallic plumage, and ocellated tail combining to make up a 22 BIRD GALLERY. magnificent whole. It will be noted that the male of this species is without the tassel-like bunch of bristles on the breast characteristic of the males of the other species. [Case 10.] The Guinea- Fowl, including five genera, -are the representatives of the Asiatic Pheasants in Africa, and form an intermediate link between the latter and the Turkeys of America. In all the species the plumage of the male and female is alike. A very rare West African form is the Turkey-like Guinea-Fowl (Agelastes meleagrides] (75), which ranges from Liberia to Gaboon. The Helmeted Guinea-Fowls (Numidd) (77) include eight species, one of which (N. meleagris) (76) is the wild ancestor of our domestic breed. Their chief characteristics are the naked head surmounted by a more or less elevated bony helmet, the wattles on each side of the gape, and the blackish plumage spotted with white. As a rule they are found in flocks in the scrubby brush. Their flight is comparatively feeble, but they can run very rapidly, and if hard-pressed take refuge among the lower branches of any convenient bush or tree, also roosting there at night. The Crested Guinea-Fowls (Guttera), of which several kinds are known, may be distinguished from the last group by their black crested head, pale blue-spotted plumage, and the white band along the wing. An example of these will be found in the Curly-crested Guinea- Fowl (G. cristata) (78) from East Africa. Of the fifth genus the Vulturine Guinea-Fowl (Acryllium vul- turinum) (80) is the sole representative. This very handsome bird, with its brightly coloured hackles and long pointed tail, is a native of East Africa. The legs of the male bear blunt knobs, which in some examples number as many as five. Case! ^e Peaf°wl (Pavo] are the largest and most magnificently coloured birds of the group. Only two species are known, the common Peafowl (P. cristatus) (81), found throughout India, Assam, and Ceylon; and the Burmese Peafowl (P. muticus) (82), from the Indo- Chinese countries, the Malay Peninsula, and Java. The tail, composed of 20 feathers, is long, but entirely hidden by the upper tail-coverts which are enormously developed in the male, and form the " train." The common Peafowl frequents broken and jungly ground, where good cover and water are to be found, and is seldom met with at elevations exceeding 2000 to 3000 feet. It prefers the neighbourhood of cultivated fields, and, where numerous, does much harm to cultivation. At night the male and his harem, consisting of four or five females, roost on the lower branches of the highest trees. Case 10.] Intermediate between the Pheasants and Peafowl is a beautiful group known as the Peacock-Pheasants (Polyplectron). The dense G AM K- tilllbS. ^° jungles and lower hill-forests of the Indo-Malayan countries and the islands of Sumatra, Borneo, and Palawan are their home. The leg of the male is armed with two, three, and sometimes four spurs, the number being rarely the same on the two legs. The Grey Peacock- Pheasant (P. chinquis) (85) ranges from Sikhim to Tenasseritn and eastwards to the Laos country. The female when followed by her chicks has a curious habit of carrying her tail widely spread, and the young always remain hidden beneath it. They run forward when called by the mother to pick up food, but, having eaten it, immediately retreat to their shelter. A very rare species may be seen in the Bornean Peacock-Pheasant (P. schleiermacheri] (86), which is peculiar to that island. The Argus Pheasants are represented by two distinct types, both of [Central which are exhibited in the Central Case. The true Argus Pheasants (Argusianus] , as already stated, are remarkable for the shape of the \vings, in which the most perfect Pheasant-type is found, the first flight- feather being the shortest and the tenth the longest. Even more remarkable are the enormously developed secondary quills of the male, beautifully decorated with rows of large ocelli. The Argus Pheasant (A. argus) (87) ranges from the Laos country and Siam through the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra, its favourite haunts being the depths of the evergreen-forests. Here a level spot, shut in by some dense cane- brake, is chosen by the male, and cleared of all dead leaves and weeds for a space of six or eight yards square, till nothing but the bare earth remains. This spot is subsequently kept scrupulously clean, and used as a dancing-ground. The male spends the greater part of the day there, arid roosts at night on some tree close by. In Borneo a different and somewhat smaller species {A. grayi] occurs. Of the second genus (Rheinhardtius] a representative will be found in Rheinhardt's Crested Argus (R. ocellatus) (88), one of the rarest of all the game-birds. In this species no extraordinary development of the secondary flight-feathers is found, but the tail is enormously long in the male. For many years the existence of this bird was only known from some tail-feathers in the Paris Museum, and it was not until 1883 that a few pairs were obtained by the French during the Tonkin war. A second species has recently been discovered in the native state of Pahang in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Of the Jungle- Fowl (Gallus) at least four very distinct species are r-Qftse jo known to inhabit the dense jungles of the Indian Peninsula, Indo- Malayan countries, and the adjacent islands. The tail is carried low in wild birds; it is only in domestic fowls that it is raised above the back. During the moult in June, when the long tail- and flight-feathers are shed, the hackles are replaced by short feathers like those of the 24 BIRD GALLERY. [Case 10.] female. A second moult takes place in September, when the short feathers of the neck are cast, and again replaced by hackles, the wing- and long tail-feathers having by this time been renewed. This temporary plumage is doubtless protective, and parallel cases may be seen in the Black Grouse and in many of the Ducks. It is from the Red Jungle-Fowl (G. gallus] (89) that all the domestic breeds of poultry are said to have been originally derived, and remark- able examples of these varieties may be seen in the Central Hall of the Museum. One of the most singular comes from Japan, and has extra- ordinarily elongate tail-coverts, said in some cases to attain a length of more than 12 feet. It is well known that the descendants of domestic fowls which have been allowed to escape and run wild in some of the islands of the Malay Archipelago soon revert to the wild type, and after a few generations become indistinguishable from the Red Jungle- Fowl of North India. In Ceylon a different species (G. lafayetti) (90j is found, the breast-feathers of the male being orange-red, while in the female they are white margined with black. The Golden Pheasant (91) and Lady Amherst's Pheasant (92), the only representatives of the genus Chrysolophus, are natives of the mountains of Western China and Eastern Tibet. The splendid plumage of the males is not surpassed by that of any other bird of the Pheasant tribe ; but the beautiful white cape and underparts and quieter colouring of the Lady Amherst are, perhaps, more attractive than the more gaudy plumage of the Golden Pheasant. 11 i^i ^ne *rue l>neasants (Phasianus and Calophasis) are, for many reasons, the most important as well as the most beautiful of all the Game-Birds. As already remarked, they are peculiar among the Phasianinae in having the first flight-feather considerably longer than the tenth. The most familiar examples of the former genus are the Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) (95) and the Chinese Ring-necked Pheasant (P. torquatus) (96) . Both of these have been introduced into the greater part of Europe and Great Britain. It is not exactly known when the former, which is found wild in South-eastern Europe and Asia Minor, was first brought to England, but it is mentioned in the bills-of-fare of the Saxon kings. The Chinese species, imported at a much later date, has interbred so freely with the Common or " Old English " Pheasant, that pure-bred birds of either species are now rarely met with in this country. About eighteen different species of Phasianus are found in Asia, and of these the majority resemble the Common Pheasant type in the general colour of their plumage, and a number are shewn in the Case. The Japanese Pheasant (P. versicolor] (97) and Scemmerring's Pheasant (P. scemmerringi) (102), found in the same islands, are somewhat different types, while Reeves' Pheasant (P. reevesi) (1 04), from GAME-BlRDS. Northern and Western China, is the giant of the genus, and remarkable [Ci for its enormously long tail, which in old males attains a length of 5 feet or even more. This grand game-bird has been introduced into various parts of Great Britain, but cannot be considered a success, for the males drive off the Common and Ring-necked Pheasant and do not interbreed freely with the females of either species. It is well known that the Pheasants found in the semi-domesticated state in this country are polygamous — that is to say, one male pairs with many females ; but there is good reason for believing that this habit has been acquired. All the evidence tends to show that in a really wild state the various species of Phasianus are monogamous, the cock bird remaining with the female during the period of incubation, and taking part in the duties of protecting and rearing the young. In this, as in other countries where Pheasants are reared for sport, the greater number of birds killed are cocks, and hence in the following spring there is generally a preponderance of females, which may account for the polygamous habits of introduced birds. The Barred-backed Pheasants (Calophasis), of which there are two species, are represented by Elliot's Pheasant (C. ellioti) (105), a rare species from South-east China. The male is a particularly handsome bird, the white belly and bands across the wings contrasting with the fiery bronze-red of the rest of the plumage. The Cheer Pheasant (Catreus wallichi) (106), of which only one species is known, is a crested form peculiar to the Himalaya and extending from Chamba to Central Nepal. The Kalij Pheasants (Germans), of which the Silver Pheasant (107) is typical, include seven well-marked species and a number of inter- mediate forms. They are met with in the lower and middle wooded ranges of the Himalaya, Burma, South China, and Formosa. Considerable interest attaches to this group on account of the inter- mediate links found between some of the Burmo-Chinese species. Of the Himalayan Kalij Pheasants exhibited the White-crested Kalij (108) is found from Hazara to Nepal, where the Nepal Kalij (109) takes its place ; in Sikhim and Western Bhotan the Black-backed Kalij (110) occurs ; while in Eastern Bhotan, Assam, and Northern Burma the Black-breasted Kalij (111) is the only species found. Though these four species touch in their ranges, so far as is known they never inter- grade with one another. On the other hand, the Black-bellied Kalij and Silver Pheasant from South China are connected by the complete chain of closely allied geographical forms. Swinhoe's Kalij (112), from the Island of Formosa, is a somewhat distinct form, and the male, as will be seen, is the handsomest of all the Kalij Pheasants. 26 BIRD GALLERY. [Case 18.] The Koklass Pheasants (Pucrasia) include half-a-dozen species found in various parts of the Himalaya, Tibet, and China. The males have a much longer crest than the females, and the feathers behind the ears are greatly developed, forming two long tufts surpassing the crest in length. The Common Koklass Pheasant (P. macrolopha) (113) is common in the Western Himalaya from Kumaon to Chamba, and generally found singly or in pairs. Its flesh is said to be superior to that of every other Hill-Pheasant. The Fire-backed Pheasants, represented by two small groups each containing three species, are natives of the dense damp evergreen forests of the Indo-Malayan countries, Sumatra, and Borneo. Of the forms without a crest an example will be found in the Bornean Crest- less Fireback (Acomus pyronotus) (114). The females in this genus are remarkable for their entirely black plumage and from the fact that their legs are armed with a pair of strong spurs as perfectly developed as those of the male. Two examples of the crested form are exhibited, the Malayan Crested Fire-back (Lophura rufa) (115) and Diard's Fire-back (L. diardi) (116), both remarkably handsome species. The males are provided with a pair of strong spurs, but the females are devoid of these weapons. The great Eared Pheasants (Crossoptilon) (117, 118) are inhabitants of the high wooded mountains of Tibet and China, ascending to a height of about 12,000 feet above sea-level. They are sociable in their habits, and during the autumn and winter are generally met with in large flocks. Like the Common Pheasant, they pass most of their time on the ground searching for seeds, roots, and insects, and at night roost in company on the pine-trees. The legs of the male are armed with short stout spurs, and, unlike the majority of the Pheasants, the plumage is alike in both sexes. The feathers forming the ear-coverts are much lengthened and pure white in all the five species known. A remarkable Bornean species will be seen in Bulwer's Wattled Pheasant (Lobiophasis bulweri) (119). The male has the head almost devoid of feathers and ornamented with three pairs of blue wattles, and the beautiful white tail is composed of no less than 32 feathers, by far the largest number found in any Game-Bird. - The female has 28 tail-feathers, or two pairs less, and the head is feathered and not ornamented with wattles. This species has only been met with in the lower mountain-forests of Sarawak, and it is essentially a ground bird, and seldom seen on the wing. [Case 14] ^ the Moonal Pheasants (Lophophorus) four different species are known, all being natives of the elevated forests of the Himalaya or Western China. In all the plumage of the males is magnificent, but GAME-BIRDS. 27 that of the Common Moonal (L. refulgens) (120) is' perhaps the hand- somest. This species is found throughout the higher wooded ranges of the Himalaya, whence enormous numbers of skins were yearly imported to this country for the adornment of ladies' hats. The splendid Horned Pheasants (Tragopari), commonly though incorrectly called " Argus " Pheasants by Indian sportsmen, are repre- sented by five different species, which inhabit the higher forest-clad ranges of the Himalaya and China. The chief characteristics of the males are the fleshy horns and the gular lappet, which are conspicuous ornaments during the breeding-season, especially when the birds are excited by passion, but barely traceable during the winter. The Crimson and Western Horned Pheasants (T. satyra (121) and T. melanocephalus (123)), are two of the handsomest species met with in the Himalaya. Though both inhabit the thick cover of the higher hills they are rarely, if ever, seen amongst the snow, and appear to shun it as much as the Blood-Pheasant delights in it. The Blood-Pheasants (Ithagenes] are very handsome Alpine birds met with in the higher regions of the Himalaya, Tibet, and Western China. The males are remarkable for the pale green colour of parts of their plumage, and for the number of spurs on their legs, some individuals having as many as four pairs. The species exhibited (/. cruentus) (124) is met with in flocks in the higher forests of the Eastern Himalaya, at elevations varying from 10,000 to 14,000 feet, and always in the immediate neighbourhood of the snow. Among the Partridge-like birds with the Pheasant-type of wing are the Stone-Pheasants (Ptilopachys) (125), represented by two African species found in rocky ground in the neighbourhood of cliffs and precipices ; the Bamboo-Pheasants (Bambusicola), with three species, found respectively in North-east India, Southern China, and Formosa; and the Spur- Fowl (Galloperdix), with two Indian and one Ceylonese species. The Chinese Bamboo-Pheasant (Bambusicola thoracicd) (126) is a very handsome bird, resembling the Common Partridge in the general colour of its plumage, which is alike in both sexes. It inhabits the jungle-clad hills, roosting and often perching on the branches of bamboos and other trees, where it is perfectly at home. Of the Indian Galloperdix an example will be found in the Painted Spur-Fowl (G. lunulatd) (127). As may be seen, the male and female differ in plumage, and the legs of the former are armed with two and sometimes three pairs of spurs, while those of the latter have usually only one pair. Like the Bamboo-Pheasants, they are birds of the forest and jungle. 28 BIRD GALLERY. Subfamily III. Perdicina. Partridge-like Game-Birds. As already mentioned, this subfamily includes the Old- World Partridges and Quails, which may be distinguished by the following characters : — The cutting-edge of the lower mandible is not serrated or provided with a tooth-like process. The first flight-feather is longer than or rarely equal to the tenth. In one or two of the species of Francolin it is slightly shorter, but these may at once be recognised as belonging to the Perdicince by their short tails. The most perfect type of Partridge- wing is found in such forms as the Snow-Partridge (Lerwa) and the Quails (Coturnix, Synmcus, and Excalfactorid) , in which the first flight-feather is equal to or very slightly shorter than the second, and the tenth is much the shortest. These, as might be expected, are all birds with great powers of flight. [Case 15.] Four different species of Partridge (Perdix] (129-132) are known. As considerable interest attaches to the sexual differences in plumage of the Common Partridge (P.perdix) (129), wings of the male and female have been exhibited to show the only reliable character for distinguishing the sexes except in very young birds. It will be seen that the lesser and median wing-coverts of the male are without the buff cross-bars so conspicuous on the feathers of the female. Young birds — that is to say birds of the year, whether male or female — may always be distinguished from old birds by having the first flight-feather pointed at the tip instead of rounded. The pointed first flight-feather, being re- tained till the following autumn moult, is a better character for denoting age than the colour of the feet. In the earlier part of the season the feet of young birds are yellowish-brown, but at the commencement of the hard weather they become pale bluish-grey like those of the adult. A curious rufous variety of the Common Partridge was described by Brisson in 1760, under the name Perdix montana (130). That it is merely a strongly marked variety is clearly shown by the forms exhibited, which show the intermediate stages between the most typical rufous bird and the normal plumage. This chestnut phase of plumage, which occurs in birds of either sex, was first recorded from the moun- tains of Lorraine, where it appears to be fairly numerous. Since that date similar examples have been procured from time to time in most counties of England, notably in Northumberland, where the rufous birds were supposed by some to be hybrids between the Red Grouse and Common Partridge. [Case 15.] The Jungle Bush- Quails (Perdicula) (133) and Painted Bush-Quails (Microperdix] (134) together include only five small species peculiar to India. They differ from the true Quails in the shape of the wing, the first flight-feather being comparatively short. GAME-BIRDS. 29 In the Quails (Coturnix) (135-1 37), of which seven different kinds are [Case 15.] known, we find the most highly-developed type of Partridge-wing, the first flight-feather being slightly shorter or equal in length to the second (see wing exhibited) . All the species are more or less migratory, their movements being regulated by the changes of season, but the Common Quail (C. coturnix) (135) is by far the greatest wanderer of all. Though small numbers of this bird are resident and remain throughout the year in suitable localities, the majority travel thousands of miles every year, countless numbers going northwards in spring to breed, and returning south to their winter-quarters in the autumn. The Black-breasted or Rain-Quail (C. coromandelicd] (137) is peculiar to India and the countries to the east of the Bay of Bengal, migrating during the monsoon (rainy season) from the damp low-lying districts to the drier parts of Upper and Western India. The closely allied New Zealand Quail (C. novte zealandiee) , though a common bird in the early days of the Colony, is now doubtless quite extinct. A skin of this bird, and that a female, recently sold for £75. The Swamp-Quails (Syncecus) (138, 139) are very closely allied to the m&se 16.1 Common Quail and its allies. Van Raalten's Swamp-Quail (139) inhabits the islands of Timor and Flores, and is the handsomest of the three species known. The smallest of all the Game-Birds are the Painted Quails (Excal- factoria) (140, 141). Only four tiny forms are known, the males having the plumage very beautifully coloured. As in the other Quails, the first and second quill-feathers are the longest, and the flight is extremely rapid. These little birds are remarkable in possessing only eight very short tail-feathers, or two less than any other bird of the group. The common Painted Quail (140) is plentiful enough through- out the Indo-Chinese countries, being chiefly found in open, swampy grass-lands and meadows. Of recent years it has frequently been kept in confinement in this country and breeds freely : the young, when about • a week old and scarcely larger than walnuts, are able to fly, and when about six weeks old they are scarcely distinguishable in plumage from their parents. In the Crested Wood-Partridge (Eollulus) (142), of which only one [Case 15.1 species is known, the male has a beautiful hairy crest, and both sexes possess a tuft of long hair-like bristles on the forehead. The grass- green plumage of the female is very remarkable, this colour being almost unknown among Game-Birds, and only found elsewhere in the Blood- Pheasants (Ithagenes). The Tree-Partridges (Arboricola) (143, 144), of which fifteen species [Case 15.] are known, inhabit the Indo-Chinese and Indo-Malayan countries and some of the adjacent islands. All the birds of this genus are peculiar 30 BIRD GALLERY. in possessing a series of small bones above the eye, known as the supra-orbital chain (see skull). The toes are provided with peculiar long, nearly straight nails. With the exception of the Common Tree- Partridge (A. torqueola) (143) here exhibited, the plumage is alike in both males and females. All are inhabitants of the thick jungle covering the higher hills, the common species occssionally ranging in the Outer Himalaya to an elevation of 14,000 feet above sea-level. As their name implies, these birds are given to perching on trees, especially on the approach of danger, but for the most part they live on the ground, running actively to and fro in search of insects and vegetable food. The eggs are pure white, with a fine, rather glossy shell. [Case 15.] The Crimson-headed Wood-Partridge (Hwmatortyx) (145) is a beau- tiful form inhabiting the mountain-forests and jungles of North Borneo. The legs of the male are armed with two or three pairs of spurs. Other Malayan genera are the Ferruginous Wood- Partridge (Calo- perdix] (146) and the Black Wood-Partridge (Melanoperdix] (147), a peculiar type worthy of special notice on account of its unusually stout and thick bill. [Case 16.1 The Red-legged Partridges (Caccabis) (148-151) form a small group, the members of which may be recognised by the brownish-grey tint of their upper plumage and bold handsome barring on the sides. The males and females do not differ from one another in plumage, but the former may be recognised by the stout blunt spurs on the legs. Of the six forms known, four are exhibited, including the black-headed Arabian species, the largest member of the genus (151), the Common B/ed-legged (149) and Barbary Partridges (150), which are the handsomest. As will be seen on the small map showing its distribution, the Chukar (C. chukar) (148), so well known to sportsmen, has a very wide range. It varies immensely in size and colour in different localities, which is to be expected of a bird which occurs from sea-level to an elevation of at least 16,000 feet. The palest forms are found in such arid neigh- bourhoods as Bushire at the head of the Persian Gulf, while the darkest and most richly-coloured birds .here exhibited inhabit the Ionian Islands, Cyprus, Asia Minor, and the outer ranges of the Himalaya where vegetation is more plentiful. [Case 16.1 In *ne closely allied Seesee Partridges (Ammoperdix^) (152), the sexes differ from one another in plumage. They inhabit bare broken ground and desolate hill-sides, where their colours harmonise with their surroundings and afford them protection. [Case 16.] The Francolins (Francolinus) (153-162) are a very numerous group including nearly fifty different species, five of which are Asiatic and the remainder African. With the exception of the Painted Francolin (F.pictus) (164), the legs of the males and, in some species of the females GAME-BIRDS. 31 also, are armed with one or more pairs of spurs. Of the species here exhibited the Common Francolin (153), formerly met with in Southern Europe, but now extinct there, is the most familiar, and known to Indian sportsmen as the Kola titur or Black Partridge. Another species, only found in the Terai of North India, is the Swamp- Francolin or Kyah (158). Levaillant's Francolin (156), with its chestnut flight-feathers, belongs to the group known as " Redwings," in South Africa ; while the Double-spurred Francolin (160) from West Africa represents a somewhat different section of the genus. Hildebrandt's Francolin (1 69) is specially interesting, for the female not only differs entirely from the male in the colour of the underparts, but has the legs armed with one or two pairs of strong spurs, and was for some time regarded as representing a distinct species. The Cape Francolin (161) and ErckePs Fraucolin (162) are among the largest known species, the former being well-known in South Africa as the " Cape Pheasant." A closely allied African genus Pternistes includes nine species of bare-throated Francolins, and an example of these will be found in Gray's Bare-throated Francolin (P. leucoscepus] (163). The Snow-Partridge (Lerwa) (164), the sole representative of its [Case 16.] genus, is an Alpine form generally met with at elevations ranging from 10,000 to 15,000 feet above sea-level. As indicated by the shape of the wing, the Snow-Partridge is a bird of rapid and powerful flight, but, unlike the Quails, it does not appear to be migratory, merely shifting its quarters to lower elevations when driven down by severe snowstorms. The large Snow-Cocks (Tetraogallus] (165, 166), of which six species are known, are also Alpine birds, very similar in their habits and mode of life to the Snow-Partridges, but found at even greater elevations, the Tibetan Snow- Cock here exhibited being met with up to 19,000 feet above sea-level. The handsome Long-billed Francolin (Rhizothera) (167), of which [Case 16.] only one other Bornean species is at present known, is distinguished from its allies the Francolins by the long stout curved bill and by having only twelve tail-feathers, all the latter possessing fourteen. As will be seen, the male and female of this curious Malayan form differ con- siderably in plumage. Family II. TETRAONID^E. GROUSE. The members of this family are distinguished from the Phasianidse ^ *\s~\ (Pheasants, Partridges and Quails) by several distinctive characters. The nostrils are entirely hidden by feathers. The legs are either partially feathered as in the Hazel-hens and Ruffed 32 BIRD GALLERY. Grouse, or entirely feathered as in the Capercaillies and Black Grouse, etc. and never armed with spurs. The toes are either covered with feathers as in the Ptarmigan, or naked and pectinate, that is to say with a series of horny comb-like processes on each side, as in the Capercaillies, Black Grouse, etc. In no group of birds are the seasonal changes of plumage more interesting and peculiar than in the Willow-Grouse, Red Grouse, and the various kinds of Ptarmigan, and therefore worthy of special notice- The seasonal changes are attained in three different ways: — (1) By moult. (2) By gradual change of pattern in the old feathers without a moult. (3) By the wearing off of the tips of the feathers. The quills and tail-feathers are only renewed once a year at the general autumn- moult, which is always the most complete. Wild hybrids between some of the species of this family appear to be more common than among any other group of birds, possibly because they attract greater attention. In many Grouse the females which have become barren from old age or from injury to the ovary assume a plumage more or less resembling that of the male, and examples of this peculiarity are exhibited in the groups of Capercaillie and Black Grouse. More rarely the reverse obtains, and examples of males assuming the female plumage are met with. [Case 17.] The Capercaillies (Tetrad), of which four European and Asiatic species are known, are the largest members of the family. The common Caper- caillie (T. urogallus) (169), inhabiting the pine forests of Europe and Northern and Central Asia, is common in some of the eastern counties of Scotland. Hybrids between this species and the Black Grouse (170) are by no means rare, the male offspring, of which a fine example is shown, being remarkably handsome birds with a violet gloss on the breast. [Case 17.] In the American bare-toed Grouse belonging to the genera Dendra- gapus (171), Tympanuchus (173), Centrocercus (174), and Pedicecetes (175, 176), of all of which examples are exhibited, the males are provided with a pair of inflatable air-sacs situated one on each side of the neck. These are not visible except when the bird is excited or showing off to the females, but at such times they can be blown out like a bladder and enable him to produce deep booming sounds which may be heard at a great distance. The stomach of the Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) (174), a native of the sage-brush- plains of Western North America, differs from that of other game-birds in being soft and membranous, very different from the muscular gizzard found in all the allied forms. As its name implies, this species is seldom found far from the tracts of Sage-brush (Artemisia), the leaves of which form its principal food, and during the winter months, when it eats little else, its flesh is unfit for the table. The Prairie Hen (Tympanuchus americanus) GAME-BIRDS. 33 (173), from the prairies of the United States, remarkable for the long tuft of feathers on each side of the neck in the male, and the Sharp-tailed Grouse (Pedicecetes phasianellus) (175), from the wooded districts and tun- dras that border the British North-American lakes, are both well known American game-birds, and are occasionally forwarded in a frozen state to the London market. Another handsome North- American species is the Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) (177), with a frilled ruffle of fan-shaped feathers on each side of the neck. Closely allied we have the Hazel-hens (Tetrastes], of which two or perhaps three species are known from Europe and Northern and Central Asia. The common Hazel-hen or Gelinotte (T, bonasia) (178), which inhabits the lower pine-forests and birch-woods of the mountainous districts of Europe and North and Central Asia, is greatly esteemed as an article of food, its flesh being white and delicate, and large numbers are frozen and imported from Scandinavia and Russia to the London market. Other well-known North American genera are the American Capercaillies or Dusky Grouse (Dendragapus) (171) and the Canadian Grouse (Canachites) (172), found in the dense thickets and evergreen woods of the middle and higher mountain-ranges. The two species of Black Grouse exhibited are the only known r_. J , [Case 18.] members of the genus Lyrurus. Though evidently closely allied, a remarkable difference is presented in their life-history. In the male of the common Black Grouse (L. tetriai] (179) the young bird attains the black plumage of the adult more or less perfectly at the first autumn- moult, only a few of the feathers of the back retaining a mottled brown appearance. The young male of the Caucasian Black Grouse (L. mlokosiewiczi] (180) assumes a barred plumage at the first autumn moult, most nearly resembling that of the adult female, and this is retained till the second moult or possibly longer, the young male exhibited having been shot on the 14th of May. During the heavy autumn-moult, which takes place in July and August, the old males of the common Black Grouse, commonly called Black Cock, are entirely devoid of tails and generally incapable of flying more than a few yards at most. At this season a temporary plumage like that of the female (Grey Hen) clothes the head and neck, and the throat becomes more or less white. This intermediate plumage is no doubt pro- tective, for the black head and neck of the male are conspicuous objects, while the rufous-buff feathers with their black bars and marks harmonise perfectly with the surrounding objects and enable the defenceless birds to escape observation. The barred feathers of the head and neck are not cast and replaced by Black ones till the rest of the plumage has been renewed, and the bird is once more able to fly. Interesting wild hybrids between Black Grouse and Red Grouse p 34 BIRD GALLERY. (186) and Black Grouse and Willow-Grouse (187) are exhibited, these being much rarer than the hybrid with the Capercaillie. [Case 18.1 In tne circumpolar Willow-Grouse (L. lagopus] (188) and Ptarmigan (L. mutus etc.) (181-183) there are three distinct changes of plumage, in summer, autumn and winter in both male and female alike, the winter plumage being white in all. The great peculiarity of the Red Grouse (L. scoticus) (185), and one without parallel among birds even of this genus, lies in the fact that the changes of plumage in the male and female occur at different seasons. The male has no distinct summer- (nesting-) plumage, but has distinct autumn- and winter-plumages, retaining the latter throughout the breeding-season. The female has a distinct summer- (nesting-) plumage, also a distinct autumn-plumage which is retained till the following spring. To put it more concisely, both male and female have two distinct moults during the year, but in the male they occur in autumn and winter, and in the female in summer and autumn, the former having no distinct summer-, and the latter no distinct winter-plumage. The Red Grouse is generally regarded as merely an insular form of the Willow-Grouse, and it might naturally be supposed that as the British species does not turn white in winter, such protective plumage being unnecessary in the localities it inhabits, the winter-moult had been gradually dropped. But as already shown, this is the case with the female only, and the male, for some unknown reason, changes the newly acquired buff and black autumn-plumage for a winter-garb of chestnut and black, which is retained till the following autumn. Order II. PTEROCLETIFORMES. Family PTEROCLIDJS. SAND-GROUSE. [Table- ^is small order includes only sixteen species, intermediate in their case.] affinities between the Pigeons and Game-Birds. The skeleton resembles that of the Pigeons in many important points, but the digestive organs are like those of the Game-Birds. The bill is very similar in shape to that of the latter, but not so strongly developed, while in the outward expression, general shape of the body, the soft and easily detached plumage, and the long pointed wings, we find a marked resemblance to the Pigeons. The feathers of the body are provided with a well- developed aftershaft. As might be expected from the shape of the wings and the great development of the pectoral muscles which work them, all the Sand-Grouse are birds with immense powers of flight, able SAND-GROUSE. 35 to traverse great distances in a remarkably short space of time. The majority are migratory, some of them wandering thousands of miles. As their name implies, they are for the most part inhabitants of the sandy-deserts, where water is generally scarce and in the dry season only to be met with at long intervals. Sand-Grouse cannot exist without water, and drink regularly in the early morning and at evening, when they visit the nearest pool in countless numbers, their powerful wings rendering distance no obstacle. The legs and toes, which are remarkably short, seem ill-adapted for walking, but the birds are perfectly at home on the ground, and can run much more easily and rapidly than might be supposed. No nest is made, merely a slight hollow is scratched in the ground. The eggs are nearly perfectly oval in shape, double-spotted (very similar to those of the common Land-rail), and almost invariably three in number. The young, which are able to run soon after they are hatched, are covered with beautifully-patterned down, but quite different from the fluffy down of young Game- Birds, each plume of the body being distinct and almost scale-like in appearance. All the species are included in one family and are well represented in the Table-case (192-198). Great interest attaches to Pallas's Three-toed Sand-Grouse (Syr- rhaptes paradoxus] (192), on account of its irregular migrations into Western Europe. Its true home, as may be seen on the map showing its distribution, is the Kirghiz Steppes and Central Asia, but for some unknown cause great numbers periodically visit Europe in the early summer, even penetrating to Great Britain and other islands off the western coasts. The first great visitation took place in 1863, and again in 1888 enormous numbers spread themselves over Europe and bred in various places, both eggs and young having been obtained. In other years smaller flocks have been observed, but the species has never succeeded in establishing itself permanently in Western Europe. Order III. TURNICI FORMES. Family TURNICID^E. HEMIPODES. The Hemipodes or Bustard-Quails (Turnitida) form a family by [Table- themselves. They are small birds resembling Quails, but distinguished case.] externally by the absence of a hind- toe, except in the Australian genus Pedionomus (204), and internally by many structural characters of importance. The female is always larger and more handsomely marked than the male, who undertakes the duty of hatching the eggs and caring for the young. The latter are covered with patterned down, like young wading birds, and are able to run soon after 36 BIRD GALLERY. they are hatched. The eggs, three to five in number, are double- spotted with dark purplish-brown and lilac, and are laid in a slight hollow in the ground lined with dry grass. Hemipodes are entirely birds of the Old World, and are distributed over Africa, Madagascar, India, and China, and extend throughout the Malayan Archipelago to Australia. The Andalusian Hemipode (Turnix sylvatica) (199) inhabits Southern Europe and North Africa, and is said to have been met with on three occasions in the South of England. Like the rest of its allies, it is solitary in its habits, frequenting dry grassy plains and localities covered with low trees and dense bushes, where it is difficult to flush, and escapes from danger by running. OrderlV. COLUMBIFORMES. PIGEON-TRIBE. [Cases The birds of this large order possess so characteristic a physiognomy '-" that they may be easily recognised at the first glance. The bill is rather slender and weak, covered at the base with a soft, more or less swollen membrane, in which the nostrils are situated. Some portion of the plumage has almost always a metallic gloss, and many of the exotic species are gorgeously coloured. The legs and toes in the typical Pigeon are short and not adapted for scratching up the ground like those of the Game-Birds, and the legs are never armed with spurs. All the species are monogamous, and both sexes assist in building the nest, which is a loosely constructed cradle of sticks. The eggs are pure white arid usually two in number, though there are many species which lay only one. The young when hatched are blind and naked, but after a little time become clothed with hairy down. They remain in the nest for many days and are entirely dependent on the care of their parents, who at first feed them with a milky fluid secreted by the crop and afterwards with moistened food. Pigeons are found all over the world, but are most numerous in the Eastern Hemisphere, especially in the islands of the Indo-Pacific Ocean and in Australia. About 450 species are known, and are valuable to jnan on account of the excellent quality of their flesh. The species exhibited bring out very clearly three interesting points : — the evidence of adaptation to an arboreal or to a ground- dwelling life, the great contrast in size, and the wonderful range and variety of coloration. PIGEONS. 37 Family I. DIDID/E. Dobos. (Plate II.) No more striking illustration of adaptation to a ground-dwelling life gases & can be found than that furnished by the Dodos (205) [PI. II.] and their Picture in ally the Solitaire (206), both long since extinct. Remains of these now 2Q T famous birds will be found in two of the Table-cases in this bay. Both these relatively gigantic Pigeons were flightless, a condition probably due to the fact that they lived on small islands uninhabited by man or other enemies, and were able to procure food in abundance without resorting to flight. As a result of this easy life the body gradually acquired a greatly increased bulk, whilst the wings gradually decreased in size, till flight at last became an impossibility. The Solitaire (Pezophaps solitarius) (206), though less well-known than the Dodo, was in some respects more remarkable, for the wings of the males were armed with large bony knobs, apparently used as weapons of offence. The Dodo (Didus ineptus) (205) inhabited Mauritius, the Reunion or White Dodo (Didus borbonicus] (205 a), Reunion, and the Solitaire Rodriguez, all islands in the Indian Ocean. When these islands were first discovered by Europeans both the Dodos and the Solitaire existed in large numbers, but being unable to protect themselves by flight, they were rapidly killed off for food ; their ex- termination being accelerated by the introduction of dogs, cats, and swine. Probably by the end of the 17th century not one of these birds survived, and what we know of their external appearance is derived from a few old paintings and, from skeletons. The exhibited examples of the Common and White Dodos are restorations. One of the most interesting paintings is exhibited in the adjoining Wall-case, and is a portrait from life, painted in Holland by Roelandt Savery. This picture was once the property of Sir Hans Sloane and was given by him to George Edwardes, F.ll.S., who presented it to the British Museum in 1759. Family II. DIDUNCULID^:. TOOTH-BILLED PIGEON. Besides the two extinct types just mentioned, there are many other [Case 19.} species of Pigeons which have taken to a terrestrial life, and are hence known as Ground-Pigeons. One of these is the -Tooth-billed Pigeon (Didunculus strigirostris) (207) of Samoa, which was reported to be nearly extinct in 1863. It is now, however, said to be once more increasing, having entirely changed its habits and taken to an arboreal life. It feeds and roosts in the highest trees, and whereas it formerly laid its single egg on the ground like the Dodo, it no\v builds its nest in the branches. On account of its heavy bill, it bears some resem- blance to the Dodo, and mainly on this account is held by some to be an ally of that extinct bird. 38 BIRD GALLERY. Family III. COLUMBIA. PIGEONS. [Cases This family includes all the remaining species of the Order. Of the 19, 20.] Groun(J_pigeons exhibited we may specially mention the Giant Crowned Pigeons (Gourd) (208, 209), the Grey-naped Ground-Pigeon (Otidiphaps cervicalis) (210) from New Guinea, held by some to be an ally of Didunculus, the Nicobar Pigeon (Calcenas nicobaricd) (213) with its remarkable metallic plumage and long neck-hackles, the Wonga-wonga (Leucosarcia picatd) (214) from East Australia, and the beautiful Bartlett's Blood-breasted Pigeon (Phlogcenas crinigera] (215) from the Philippines. In all these it will be noted that the length of the leg is very conspicuously greater than in the tree-haunting type of Pigeon. [Case 19.] Above these will be seen the beautiful Bronze-winged Dove (Chalcophaps indica) (227), and the diminutive Long-tailed African Dove ((Ena capensis) (228), one of the smallest of all the Pigeons. Next come the more familiar species belonging to the genera Turtur and Columba. Of the former the Turtle-Dove (T. turtur} (231) and the Eastern Turtle-Dove (Turtur orient alls] (231 a), which is included in the British List, may be specially mentioned, and of the latter the Stock-Dove (237), the Rock-Dove (238), and the Wood-Pigeon (239), all common species in the British Isles. The Rock-Dove is noteworthy, as from this species all the domesticated varieties have been derived. The handsome Reinwardt's Cuckoo-Dove (Reimvardfcenas reinwardti] (240) and the Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes miff rat orius} (241), of Eastern North America, complete the more noticeable species in this Case. The latter species is now extinct, though only a few years ago it was met with in such countless flocks that a colony seen by the naturalist Wilson on one occasion was estimated to consist of more than 2,230 millions ! As late as 1878 a "roost" of these birds, at Petosky in Michigan, occupied an area twenty-eight miles long by three or four broad. During the nesting-season millions of birds are said to have been slaughtered without producing any appreciable reduction in their numbers. [Case 20.] Resplendent colours are characteristic of the Fruit-Pigeons, though green may be said to be the predominant tone. Some, such as the Chatham Island form (Hemiphaga chathamensis) (249), exhibited on the floor of this Case, are of large size, and a curious crested species, Lophol&mus antarcticus (248) from New South Wales, will be found near it. The Nutmeg-Pigeon (Myristidvora bicolor) (250) from the Malay Archipelago is a striking form, being pure white with the flight- feathers and tip of the tail black. Among the more brilliantly coloured forms are the Orange Fruit-Pigeon (Chryscenas victor} (262) from the Fiji Islands, and the Jambu Fruit-Pigeon (Ptilopus jambu} (271) from Borneo. The Red-crowned Pigeon (Alectrcenas pulcherrima) (261) from the Seychelles represents a remarkable little group, one of which, RAILS. 39 A. nitidissima of Mauritius, has become extinct within historic times. Of the Green Fruit-Pigeons Sphenocercus (278 c), Osmotreron (277), (277 a), Treron (276), etc., a number are exhibited at the top of the Case, and, as will be seen, the harmonious colouring of some of the smaller species is wonderfully pleasing, and renders them almost invisible among the foliage of the trees. Order V. RALLI FORMES. RAIL-LIKE BIRDS. The members of this Order are all adapted for a life among thick [C'ase 22.] undergrowth, such as is found along the banks of rivers, swamps and pools, or among long grass in drier places. The body is laterally com- pressed between the closely fitting concave wings, so that the bird is enabled to glide easily and stealthily through reeds and other cover. The legs are moderately long and the toes often extremely so. In spite of their apparently weak and unprotracted flight, many are migratory, and some, such as the Corn-Crake, are capable of making very long voyages. Not a few from long disuse of their wings have lost the power of flight, and of these, it may be mentioned, several have become extinct during historic times. Rails are mostly good swimmers. The eggs are numerous, generally from seven to eleven in number and double-spotted. Of the species exhibited in this Case only the more interesting can be referred to here. Family I. RALLI D^E. RAILS. The true Rails may be distinguished by the absence of a horny frontal [Case 22.] shield or plate on the forehead and of lobate webs on the toes. They are distributed all over the world, being as a rule of sombre coloration and of very retiring and partially crepuscular habits. The Water- Rail (Rallus aquations) (298) and the Corn-Crake or Laud-Rail (Crex crex) (312) are both found in Great Britain, the former as a resident, the latter as a summer visitor from South Africa. The Spotted (316), Little (315), Carolina (313), and Baillon's Crakes (314) are also included in the British List, the former as a regular summer- visitor and partial resident. A number of large handsome Rails belong to the South American genus Aramides (306-308), three species of which are exhibited. The singular Wallace's Rail (Habroptila wallacei) (305), from the forests of Halmahera in the Moluccas, and the Weka Rails or Wood- hens (Ocydromus) of New Zealand, are of special interest, having entirely lost the power of flight, and are in consequence doomed ere long to extinction. The common Weka Rail (0. australis) (304), a rather large bird about the size of a hen, is much sought after by the Maoris, botli for 40 BIRD GALLERY. [Case 22.] food and for the sake of its oil. Numerous forms allied to this genus have already become extinct, such as Aphanapteryx from Mauritius and Leguatia gigantea from Rodriguez, which is described as standing- six feet in height and having a body as large as that of a Goose. Other genera, such as the Purple Gallirmles (Porphyriola, Porphyrio (329-332) and Notornis), are remarkable for the beauty of their plumage, the great size of their bill and frontal shield, aud the length of their toes. The celebrated " Moho " (Notornis mantelli), one of the most interesting of the Purple Gallinules, is all but extinct. It is unable to fly, aud has now entirely disappeared from the North Island of New Zealand, but in the South Island three have been obtained during the past century, one as recently as 1881, and a few may still exist in remote parts of the country. Strangely enough the species was first described by Owen from an imperfect fossil skull, and was at that time believed to be extinct. Shortly after, however, a living specimen was captured, to be followed by the others already referred to. Allen's Purple Gallinule (P. alleni) (329 a) has occurred once at Yarmouth. The common British Moorhen or Waterhen (Gallinula chluropus) (327) is nearly related to the Purple Gallinules, though its colouring is much less brilliant. The Coots (Fulica), of which the common Coot (F. atra) (334) is the best known, may be recognised from the rest of the family by the broad lobes to the toes, their feet bearing a strong resemblance to those of the Grebes. They are all good swimmers, spending the greater part of , their life on the water, and the species are distributed over most of the world, though the majority belong to the South American region. Family II. HELIORNITHID.E. FINFOOTS. This family is represented by certain aberrant types undoubtedly allied to the Rails, in spite of their curiously Grebe-like form. Altogether three genera are recognised, two of which belong to the Old World and the third is confined to South America. This latter genus includes a single species of Finfoot (Heliornis fulica) (337). Peters's Finfoot ( Podica petersi) (336) represents the Old World forms. Order VI. PODICIPEDIFORMES. Family PODICIPEDID^E. GREBE*. [Case 21.] The birds which constitute this Order are an extremely interesting group on account of the profound modifications which the skeleton has undergone in adaptation to the requirements of a purely aquatic life. The bones of the hip-girdle have become elongated and laterally com- pressed to a remarkable degree. The thigh-bone is extremely abbreviated, so that the legs are set very far back near the hinder end of the body, a position which ensures the maximum of power when swimming, but which leaves the bird almost helpless on land The front toes are GREBES. 41 provided with wide lateral lobes which are united with one another at the base. The tail is inconspicuous, being a mere tuft of downy plumes. As in the Divers, the plumage of the Grebes is much handsomer during the breeding-season than it is in winter, and they are familiarly known on account of the muffs and trimmings for dresses which are made from their beautiful silvery-white breasts. The Grebes are a nearly cosmopolitan family, though chiefly found in the temperate regions of both Hemispheres. About twenty-five species are known, all expert divers, but unlike some of the Auks and the Penguins, which use their wings in diving, Grebes propel themselves through the water by their curiously lobed toes alone. lii winter they migrate from the colder parts and are then often to be found at the sea, but they breed exclusively on fresh water, attaching their floating nest of weeds to any convenient patch of reeds. The eggs, which are from three to six in number, are bluish-white \vhen first laid but soon become stained with brown. Five species occur in the British Isles, the Great Crested Grebe (Podicipes cristatus) (287) and the Dab- chick (P.flwviatilis) (279) being residents, while the lled-necked (286), Eared or Slavonian (284), and Black-necked Grebes (285) are autumn- and winter- visitors. The latter also occasionally appears in spring and summer, and is believed to have bred in Great Britain. The most re- markable is the large South American species (P. micropterum) , which is found on Lake Titicaca in Peru, 12,645 ft. altitude, and lacks the power of flight. Order VII. COLYMBIFORMES. Family COLYMBID^E. DIVERS. The Divers, or Loons as they are also 'called, present precisely similar [Case 21.] modifications of the skeleton to those found in the Grebes. Indeed, the two orders are very generally regarded as one. Like the Grebes, they have a distinct breeding-plumage which differs conspicuously from that worn during the remainder of the year. The front toes are fully webbed, and the tail-feathers, though small, are normal. The large olive- or reddish-brown eggs spotted with black and grey are always two in number, and laid in a slight depression of the ground close to the water's edge. Though essentially formed for swimming and diving, when once on the wing they can also fly with great rapidity, but on land their movements are awkward and clumsy. Of the five species known to inhabit the Arctic and sub-Arctic portions of the Northern Hemisphere, four visit Great Britain, two, the Red-throated (290) and Black-throated Divers (291), nesting within our limits, and two, the Great Northern (293) and the White-billed Divers (292), visiting our shores in winter, the latter very rarely. In autumn they change their summer-plumage for a more sober garb, 42 BIRD GALLERY. becoming entirely white underneath. A comparison of the maps showing the distribution of the Grebes and Divers clearly indicates how the latter take the place of the former in the more northern regions. Order VIII. SPHENISCIFORMES. Family SPHENISCID^E. PENGUINS. (Plate III.) [Central Penguins may fairly be considered to hold the same place among the Case.] Bir(is that the Seals do among the Mammalia. At the present time they are represented by comparatively few species, though they probably played a more important part in prehistoric times. They date back at least to the Upper Eocene, in which the gigantic New Zealand Penguin, standing over six feet high, was discovered. Their wings are modified into swimming-paddles covered with narrow scale-like feathers. Their legs are included in the skin of the body, and their large clumsy feet are placed so far back as to render their locomotion on land a somewhat difficult operation. Their home is the sea, and when diving they propel themselves solely by means of their wings, which they use alternately, while their legs are used as a rudder. They breed on the desolate rocks and islands in the Southern Ocean, where they are not often disturbed by man, and extend up to the equator (Galapagos) in the Pacific. All the known species, seventeen in number, may be grouped into six genera. The best known are the large King- Penguins (Aptenodytes patagonica) (350) [Figs. . chionopterd) (358) exhibited at the top of the Case. It is interesting to note that a specimen of the Black-browed Albatros (D. melanophnjs) (356) was captured in Cambridgeshire in 1897. Other species of the family are the Yellow-nosed Albatros (Thalassogeron chlororhynchus) (359), and the Sooty Albatros (Phcebetria fuliginosd) (360). Family II. PROCELLARIID.E. PETRELS. The most aberrant of the Petrels are undoubtedly the three species [Case 23.] included in the subfamily Pelecanoidirue or Diving Petrels, which are represented by Garuot's Petrel (Pelecanoides garnoti) (361). Like the Little Auk (404) (Case 24), which they closely resemble in general appearance, they have a hurried flight and dive into the sea in pursuit of their prey without any interruption in the action of their wings, and emerge from beneath the surface flying. Unlike the other Petrels, they are generally found singly or in pairs and nest sporadically. 44 BIRD GALLERY. Tne second subfamily Procellariinee includes the true Petrels. The Shearwaters (Puffinus) are numerously represented in all the great oceans of the world, and derive their name from their curious habit of skimming just over the surface of the waves. The Manx Shearwater (P. anglorum] (370) is widely distributed over British waters throughout the year, and breeds on many of the islands off the coast, while the Greater (372), Mediterranean Greater (371), Sooty (368), and Little Dusky (369) Shearwaters are visitors to our shores, the last being much the rarest. The allied genus (Estrelata, including some thirty species, is interesting from the fact that three of the species have each been recorded once from Britain. Of these a specimen of the Collared Petrel (CE.br evipes) (365) killed in Wales is exhibited, also SchlegePs Petrel (GE. neglectd) (365 a), but the Capped Petrel ((E. hcesitata) is so rare that only one example exists in the Museum collection. Bulwer's Petrel (Bulweria bulweri) (364), a curious sooty-black form, is common in the Madeiran waters, and has occurred once in Yorkshire and once in Sussex, where a specimen was picked up dead. The Pintado Petrel or " Cape Pigeon " (Daption capensis) (363), as its name implies, is numerous off the South African coast, and is well-known from its habit of accompanying ships for the sake of the scraps of food thrown over- board. Lastly we may draw attention to the beautiful Snowy Petrel (Pagodroma nivea) (362), a native of the icy regions of the South. [Case 24.] On the floor of this Case will be found the Giant Petrel or "Nelly " (Ossifraga gigantea] of the Southern seas, the largest of the true Petrels. Apart from its size this species is remarkable for possessing both a light (376) and a dark (377) phase of coloration, some individuals being dark brown and others almost entirely white. Examples of both types are shown. The Fulmar Petrel (Fulmarus glacialis) (379) is a well-known inhabitant of the seas of Arctic Europe, and nests within our limits in Scotland and the North of Ireland. Two phases of plumage are known, some examples having the under surface white, while in others these parts are grey. The Broad-billed Blue Petrel (Prion ariel) (380) represents a small group remarkable for the presence on each side of the bill of long lamellae, resembling those of the Ducks; Of the small long- legged Petrels, commonly known as " Mother Carey'* Chickens," and placed by some authors in a separate subfamily, Oceanitince, quite a number appear on the list of British Birds. Two, the Storm-Petrel (Procellaria pelagica) (381) and Leach's Fork-tailed Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorrhoa) (382), breed on some of the islands off the west coast of Britain, while Harcourt's Storm-Petrel (0. castro] (383), Wilson's Storm-Petrel (Oceanites oceanicus) (387), and the beautiful White- breasted or Frigate-Petrel (Pelagodruma marina) (385) are accidental visitors to our shores. AUKS. 45 Order X. ALCIFORMES. Family ALCID^E. AUKS. (Plates IV., V.) The Auks, Guillemots, Razor-bills and Puffins, included in this family, [Case 24.] form a group of exceptional interest on account of the modifications of structure which they have undergone to adapt them to a purely pelagic life. Though allied to the Gulls and more distantly to the Plovers, they are now superficially very different, and as in the Grebes and Divers the shape and carriage of the body are specially suited to their peculiar habits. Their distribution is confined to the coasts of the North Circumpolar region, none being found either in the tropical zone or in the Southern Hemisphere. Black and white are the predominating colours in the plumage of these birds. They breed generally on rocky cliffs and islands in enormous colonies, make no nest, and the female lays her one or, in some species, two eggs on the bare rock or, as in the case of the Puffins, in a rabbit-burrow or hole tunnelled by the birds themselves. The young are covered with down when hatched, and in their first plumage differ but little from the adult. The smallest members of the group are the little Auks, represented on the top shelf of this case by several diminutive species. Least of these is the Minute Auk (Simorhynchus pusillus) (390), remarkable on account of its extremely small bill, while the Pigmy Auk (S. pygmaus) (391) and the Crested Auk (S. cristatellus] (392) have an elongate frontal crest of narrow feathers curving forward over the bill. In these species, as in their allies the Puffins, the supplementary ornamental shields on the bill are cast after the breeding-season, and the bill then appears much smaller and of a dull brown colour. The Perroquet-Auk (Phaleris psittaculus) (393) from the North Pacific is another curious little form, and the Unicorn Puffin (Cerorhyncha monocerata) (394), from the North Pacific and Bering Sea, has a peculiar horny excrescence at the base of the bill during the breeding-season. The Common Puffin or Sea-Parrot (Fratercula arctica] (397) [PI. IV.], a common British species, the Horned Puffin (F. corniculata) (396), and their ally the Tufted Puffin (Lunda cirrhata) (395), differ from all the species already mentioned in having the claw on the inner toe very strongly curved. During the breeding-season these birds have the bill brilliantly ornamented, but in autumn a remarkable moult takes place, and the coloured shields fall off, leaving the bill about half its former size. This is clearly illustrated on the tablet exhibited in the Case, where the head of the Common Puffin is shown with the recently cast shields alongside the bill. From the coasts and islands of the North Pacific and Bering Sea 46 BIRD GALLERY. come two diminutive forms of Guillemot represented by the Ancient Auk (Synthliborhamphus antiguus) (389) and the Marbled Guillemot (Brachyrhamphus marmoratus) (398). Of the true Guillemots (Uria) two species, the Common Guillemot, Marrot, or Murre (U. troile) (402), and the Black Guillemot or Tystie (U. grylle] (400), are British breeding- birds ; the Bridled Guillemot ( U. troile, var ringvia] (401 ) being generally regarded as merely a variety of the former, though some consider it a distinct species. It is not nearly so numerous as the common form and always occurs in company with it. The wonderful range of colour and markings in the eggs laid by the Common Guillemot is well illustrated in the Case exhibited on the right-hand side of the staircase in the Central Hall. The set of specimens showing the seasonal changes of plumage in the Black Guillemot deserves special notice. Briinnich's Guillemot (U. lomvia) (403), distinguished chiefly by its stouter bill and by having the basal part of the upper mandible naked, occasionally visits our coasts as a straggler from the Arctic Ocean. Another regular winter visitor to Britain is the Little Auk or Rotche (Alle alle) (404). The Razor-Bill (Alca tordd) (405) is chiefly interesting on account of its resemblance and probable relationship to the Great Auk, which will be found immediately below. The Great Auk or Gare-fowl (Plautus impennis) (406) [PI. V.] is a bird of quite exceptional interest, being now extinct. As may be seen from its diminutive wings it was quite unable to fly, and its extermination was due largely, if not entirely, to the agency of man. The last colony of this bird inhabited the islands near Iceland and was finally exterminated in 1844. Specimens of this bird and its eggs are now regarded as great treasures. Order XI. LARJFORMES. GULL-TRIBE. L^ases The Gulls, Terns, and Skuas which make up this Order are closely allied on the one hand to the Auks and on the other to the Plovers which follow, and some zoologists regard these three groups as forming but a single Order. Superficially the Gulls bear s.ome resemblance to the Petrels, but may readily be distinguished from the latter by their slit- like nostrils. From the Plover-tribe they may be recognised by their webbed feet, and from the Auks by their long wings and tail and by the carriage of the body, which is horizontal instead of nearly vertical. The predominating colour in the adult birds is white, with a mantle varying in shade from grey to black. The young differ from the adults, being usually mottled with brown or black, and the nestlings are covered with beautifully patterned down. From one to four eggs are laid, usually brown or green heavily blotched and spotted with brown, black, and pale lilac. GULLS. 47 Though most of the species are truly marine, they often wander far inland, and many breed in large colonies in the proximity of fresh water. Family I. STERCORARIID^E. SKUAS. On the floor of this Case will be found the Skuas or Parasitic Gulls, [Case 26.] mostly birds of a dusky or reddish-brown colour, and remarkable not only in possessing a " cere " or bare wax-like base to the bill, but also as regards their habits. Though apparently well adapted both for swim- ming and diving, they rather avoid the water, and obtain their food by destroying other birds or by robbing them of their prey. Four species of the Great Skuas (Megalestris) are known, of which one, the " Bonxie" (M. catarrhactes) (409), from the North Atlantic, breeds in the Shetland Islands. One of the Southern forms (M. ant- arctica) (410), ranging from New Zealand to the Falkland Islands, appears to feed almost entirely on Petrels, and closely resembles some large hawk as it rapidly quarters the hill-sides in search of prey. Of the smaller long-tailed species (Stercorarius) , Richardson's Skua (S. crepidatus] (411) has both dark and light phases of plumage, and nests in some of the islands off the north of Scotland; while Buffon's and the Pomatorhine Skuas (S. parasiticus (412) and S. pomaturhinus (413)) are both winter visitors to our coasts. All three breed in the high north and wander far south in winter. Their habits are very similar ; they single out a Gull, Tern or Gannet well-stocked with recently caught fish, and after a hot pursuit force it to disgorge part of its booty, which is seized ere it reaches the water. Family II. LARID.E. GULLS AND TERNS. (Plates VI., VII.) The Gulls may generally be distinguished from the Terns by their [Cases strong, curved bill and square tail. Many of the larger species are ' -" almost omnivorous, feeding on small mammals, young birds, eggs, and all sorts of carrion, besides fish. They may be divided into two groups, those with a hood and those without. To the latter belong the Kitti- wakes (Rissa), with the hind toe rudimentary or absent, of which R. [Case 25.] tridactyla (414) is a common British species, and a number of the larger species of Larus such as the Common Gull (L. canus) (425), the Herring- Gull (L. argentatus) (424) [PI. VI.], the Greater and Lesser Black-backed Gulls (L. marinus (421) and L. fuscus (423)), all of which breed in the British Isles ; while the Glaucous and Iceland Gulls (L. glaucus (420), L. leucopterus (419)), and the Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea) (416) are occasional visitors to our coasts. Besides these a number of less familiar 48 BIRD GALLERY. [Case 26.] species are exhibited, one of the most noteworthy being the Pacific Gull (Gabianus pacificus) (417), with its remarkably stout bill ; while Tschudr's (430), Hemprich's (431), and Heerrnan's (429) Gulls are specially inter- esting forms on account of their peculiar dusky coloration. The hooded Gulls comprise such species as our Black-headed Gull (L. ridibundus) (432), the commonest British species, and the Bonaparte's (L. philadel- phia) (434), Mediterranean Black-headed (L. melanocephalus) (435), Great Hooded (L. ichthyaetus] (436), and Little Gull (L. minutus) (437), all accidental visitors to Britain. In these birds the black hood is only assumed during the breeding-season, at other times the head is white or nearly so. Sabine's Gull (Xema sabinei] (438) and the very rare Ross' Rosy Gull (Rhodosiethia rosed} (439) are aberrant forms ; in the former the tail is forked, in the latter cuneate or wedge. shaped. Both belong to the Arctic Seas and are only stragglers to our coasts. [Case 26.] The Terns or Sea-Swallows may be recognised by their nearly straight, pointed and comparatively slender bill, forked tail, and more slender build. Specially interesting forms are the White Tern (Gygls Candida) (440) and the Noddy (.Anous stolidus) (443), with its curious nest of mud and seaweed, etc. placed on the bough of a tree. This bird has twice been recorded from our shores. In the British Islands five species of Tern (Sterna), viz.: the Common (S. fluviatiiis) (452), Arctic (S. macrura) (453), Little (S. minuta) (448), Sandwich (S. cantiaca) (455) [PI. VII.], and Roseate (S. dougalli) (454), are regular summer visitors and remain to breed, the last being very much the rarest. Besides these, seven other species of Tern have been recorded as accidental visitors, viz. : the Sooty (S. fuliginosa) (446), Bridled (S. anastheta) (447), Caspian (Hydroprogne caspia) (456), Gull-billed (Gelochelidon anglica) (467), White-winged (Hy drochelidon leucoptera) (458), Whiskered (H. hybrida) (459), and Black (H. nigra) (460). All these are repre- sented in the Case, and the last-named may be considered a regular visitor and formerly bred in England. The most remarkable members of the family are the Scissor-billed Terns, of which an example will be found in Rliynchops flavirostris (462). They have been given their trivial name on account of the peculiar form of the bill, which is quite unique among birds. Both upper and lower mandibles are compressed to a knife -like thinness, and the lower is produced beyond the upper for a considerable distance. This peculiar modification appears to be for the purpose of catching fishes from among the surface-swimming shoals. The lower jaw being used as a sort of plough, catches up the prey as the bird flies along over the surface. Five species are known, of which one is Asiatic, one African, and three are American. PLOVERS. 49 Order XII. CHARADRIIFORMES. PLOVER-TRIBE. The birds included in this Order present great variety in size, shape and coloration, and it is interesting to notice that these differences are generally traceable to peculiar methods of feeding. Though a few species frequent arid plains, they are essentially birds of the fen and of the sea-shore, or haunt the banks of streams and desolate marshes, feeding on worms, small shell-fish, and Crustacea. For the capture of these the beak and legs have become modified in many ways. A considerable number of species exhibit conspicuous changes in the coloration of the plumage, adopting a distinct summer and winter dress ; others undergo but little seasonal change. The richly coloured eggs do not ordinarily exceed four in number, and are deposited in a slight hollow in the ground with little or no preparation in the form of a nest. The young are quite active when hatched and are clothed in a thick covering of beautifully patterned down, the colour of which is more or less deter- mined by the surroundings amid which they are hatched. Family I. DROMADID^E. CRAB-PLOVERS. On the floor of this Case, on the right-hand side, we find the sole [Case 27.] representative of this very aberrant and remarkable family, which inhabits the coast-land and sandy islands of India, Arabia and East Africa. The nesting habits differ entirely from those of every other member of this order, for the Crab-plover (Dramas ardeola) (463) breeds in deep burrows excavated in the sand-hills and lays a single large white egg. The young are covered with greyish down and, like young petrels, remain in the burrows during the day. Family II. CHIONIDID^E. SHEATHBILLS. The Sheathbills, of which three species are known, form another very [Case 270 aberrant family, inhabiting the islands adjacent to the southern "ex- tremity of South America and in the South Atlantic Ocean. The base of the bill is covered with a saddle-shaped horny sheath, the cheeks are naked, covered with wattles in Chionis alba (464), and the wings are armed with spurs. The habits of the Lesser Sheathbill (Chionarchus minor) (465) are described as resembling in some respects those of Pigeons, while in their gait and flight they closely resemble Ptarmigan. The rough nest of dried plant-stems is made in a hollow among the rocks or occasionally in a Petrel's burrow, and contains two or three eggs thickly spotted and mottled with purplish-red. i 50 BIRD GALLERY. Family III. ATTAGID^:. SEED-SNIPES. [Case 27.] This is another aberrant group of the Plover-tribe, peculiar to South America. Two distinct genera are recognised, each of which is repre- sented in the Case. Gay's Seed-Snipe (Attagis gayi) (466) and D'Orbigny's Seed-Snipe (Thinocorus orbignianus] (467) are both re- markably unlike Plovers, the former especially bearing a marked resemblance to the Tinamous. Family IV. CHARADRIID^. PLOVERS. (Plate VIII.) [Cases To this very large family belong all the Snipes, Sandpipers, and Plovers. 27, 28.] They may be divided into several subfamilies. The first (Phalaropinee) includes the little Phalaropes, which inhabit the Arctic and Sub-polar regions; they are extremely interesting birds, and the most aquatic members of the Plover-tribe. As in the Grebes and Coots the toes are lobed, and they are able to swim with ease and spend much of their time on the water. The female is larger and more handsomely coloured than the male, who undertakes the duties of incubation and the care of the young. The Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus hyper- boreus] (470) annually visits the British Islands, and still breeds on some of the islets off the north arid west coasts.; but the Grey Phalarope (Crymophilus fulicarius) (469) is only an irregular visitor to our shores, while Wilson's Phalarope (Steganopus tricolor] (468) is a North American species. The great difference between the summer and winter plumage of these birds is Avorth noting. A precisely similar reversal of the sexual characters is found in the Painted Snipe (Rostratula capensis] (472), examples of which may be seen on the shelf above. Generally these birds are regarded as true Snipe, but they are probably more nearly allied to the Sandpipers. Three species are recognised, and occur in Africa and Southern Asia, Australia, and South America respectively. We now come to the true Snipe and Woodcocks, a cosmopolitan group migratory in cold climates, distinguished by the peculiar round- ness of the cranium, which brings the aperture of the ear directly under the eye, and by the great length of the bill. -The mottled plumage is protective in character, harmonising with the bird's surroundings and thus concealing it from enemies. The long bill is well supplied with nerves and extremely sensitive to touch, and like that of many of the Sandpipers is very flexible, especially at the tip. The Common Snipe ( Gallinago gallinago) (476) and the Woodcock (Scolopax rusticula] (471) are both well-known British species, breeding throughout the Islands ; while the Great, Double, or Solitary Snipe ( Gallinago major] (477) and PLOVERS. 51 the Jack Snipe (Limnocryptes gallinula) (473) are winter visitors, the former, however, being comparatively rare. The next subfamily, Totanina, occupying the remainder of Case 27 [Cases 27, and the floor of Case 28, includes the Sandpipers and Godwits, most of which have distinct summer- and winter-plumages, as well as the Curlews. Of these the Dunlin (486), Ruff (500), Greenshank (496), Redshank (506), Common Sandpiper (502), Curlew (519), and Whimbrel (516) breed in the British Isles, though the Ruff and Whimbrel are local and rare. Many others, such as the Knot (484), Curlew- (483), Purple (482), Wood- (499) and Green (497) Sandpipers, Little Stint (488), Sanderling (491), Spotted Redshank (507), and the Bar-tailed (509) and Black- tailed Godwits (508) visit our coasts regularly ; while among the occasional visitors are the Broad-billed (485), American Pectoral (481), Bonaparte's (480), Baird's (480 a), Buff-breasted (493), Bartram's (494), Solitary (498); and Snipe-billed or Red-breasted (511) Sand- pipers, the American (487) and Temminck's (489) Stints, Spotted Sand- piper (501), Yellowshank (503), Marsh Sandpiper (504), and Eskimo Curlew (513). Among the typical Sandpipers, perhaps the most striking form on account of its remarkable bill, is the little Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygm&us) (490), a native of Eastern Asia. As regards variety of colour the polygamous Ruff (Pavoncella pugnax] (500) is quite peculiar. During the breeding-season the face of the male becomes covered with small yellow warts, the fore-neck develops an enormous " ruff " of feathers which can be erected or depressed at will, and the head is adorned with tufts of feathers or " ears " which are also erectile. Both "ruff" and " ear-tufts " are specially remarkable for the range of their colour, which may be white, rufous, or black, with or without bars, the variation being endless and alike in no two individuals. In winter both sexes are very similar in plumage, but the female, commonly called the Reeve, may always be distinguished from the male by her smaller size. The Ruff is polygamous, and the males during the spring are very pugnacious, and have a curious habit of assembling in small parties to contend in a kind of tournament for the possession of the females, which are said to outnumber them. The difference between the summer- and winter-dress of the Godwits (Limosa) (508-510) is most conspicuous ; in the former bright chestnut- red is the dominant colour, while in the latter the general tone is grey and white. In the Curlews (Numenius} (513-519) these seasonal differences are very slight. The Ibis-billed Curlew (Ibidurhynchus struthersi] (520), from the [Case 28.] inland streams of Central Asia, China, and the Himalaya, is the unique type of the next subfamily, and worthy of special notice. It is more nearly allied to the Oyster-catchers than the Curlews and resembles the former in its habits. E 2 52 BIRD GALLERY. Of the Arenariince, the Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) (522), one of the commonest of our shore birds, is almost cosmopolitan in its range, nesting in the Arctic regions of both Hemispheres and ranging south almost as far as land extends. It gains its trivial name of "Turnstone" from its habit of turning over stones to secure the small Crustacea hiding beneath them. The Oyster-catchers or " Sea-Pies" (Htematopodina) (523-525), which have the legs reticulated both in front and behind, derive their name from their supposed habit of feeding on oysters. They live, however, chiefly on mussels, whelks, and other shellfish, which are scooped from their shells by the bird's powerful bill. The common Oyster-catcher (Hamatopus ostralegus) (525) is a familiar British species, breeding on the shores and sandy beds of rivers, and depositing its eggs in a slight depression in the ground. As will be seen from the specimen of H. unicolor (523) in the Case, some species are entirely black. Passing over the Peltohyatince, which includes only the Australian Dotterel (Peltohyas australis) (533), we come to the True Plovers (Charadriina) which include a number of well-known forms, many of which are found on the List of British Birds. Commencing on the right-hand side of the fifth shelf we find the very singular Wry-billed Plover (Anarhynchus front alls) (532) of New Zealand, which has the bill twisted towards the right, an adaptation which enables the bird to pick up insects hiding under stones. The Ringed (527) and Kentish (529) Plovers [PI. VIII.], Dotterel (535), Golden Plover (546), and Lapwing (544), are all well-known British birds and breed in our islands ; the Little Ringed (528) and Grey Plovers (541) are regular visitors on migration, and the Killdeer (534), Caspian (537), and American Golden (547) Plovers are occasional stragglers to our shores. The Dotterel (Eudromias morinellus) (535), one of the most beautiful of the Plovers, was at one time a toler- ably common British bird, but its numbers have greatly decreased of recent years. The Grey Plover (Squaturola helvetica] (541) and the Golden Plover ( Charadrius pluvialis) (546) are conspicuous for the marked changes of plumage during the summer and winter months. The Lapwing, Peewit, or Green Plover (Vanellus vanellus] (544) is perhaps the best known bird of the group on account of its eggs being so highly prized as table-delicacies. The young of this species (545) exhibited in the Case show the protective nature of the colour in the nestling down. [Case 28.] A number of the Plovers have the sides of the face in front of the eye ornamented by brightly coloured wattles, which hang down on each side of the bill, and some have a strong spur situated at the bend of the wing and used as a formidable weapon of offence. As an example of those with facial wattles only, we may draw attention to the Crested- PLOVERS. 53 Wattled Lapwing (Sarciophorus tectus) (555). In the Black-thighed (Xiphidiopterus cucullatus] (542) and Latham's Wattled Lapwing (Lobivanellus lobatus) (548), both wattles and spurs to the wings are found ; while others, such as the Cayenne Lapwing (Belonopterus cayen- ncnsis) (554) and the Egyptian Spur-winged Lapwing (Hoplopterus spinosus) (543), have spurs only. The latter species is believed by some to be the " Crocodile-Bird " of the earlier writers, and is said to enter the mouths of Crocodiles to feed on the parasites attached to the gums. The Sociable Plover (Chatusia gregaria) (552), which ranges from South-eastern. Europe and North-east Africa to Central Asia and India, is interesting to British ornithologists as having been captured three times in Lancashire. The Avocets and Stilts (HimantopodintB] (557-562), which complete [Case 28-l the series in this Case, are singularly interesting types, the former especially so on account of the form of the bill, which is upturned and drawn out into an extremely fine point. The common Avocet (Recurvirostra avocetta] (561) at one time bred in considerable numbers in the fen-country in the east of England, but now occurs only as a * visitor on migration. The Banded Avocet (Cladorhynchus leucocephalus) (560) of Australia, a remarkably handsome bird, represents an inter- mediate form with the bill but slightly curved upwards and the feet partially webbed. The Stilts have remarkably long legs and a straight slender bill and obtain their food by wading. The Black- winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) (557) has visited Britain on many occasions, and is widely distributed over Europe, Africa, and Asia. Family V. CURSORIID.E. COURSERS. This small group of Plover-like birds inhabits Africa and ranges [Case 29. through Southern Asia to India and Ceylon. One species, the Cream- coloured Courser (Cursorius gallicus) (564), breeds in the Canary Islands and occasionally wanders to England. It frequents dry sandy plains and deserts, running with extraordinary speed and rarely taking wing, though at times its flight is protracted. Insects such as grass- hoppers form its principal food, and its eggs, two in number, are deposited on the bare ground, which they closely resemble in colour. An allied genus is represented by the Two-banded Courser (Rhinoptilus bicinctus) (565). One of the most interesting species is the Black-headed Plover (Pluvianus aegyptius} (563), also known as the "Crocodile-Bird." Like the Egyptian Spur-winged Lapwing it is said to enter the mouths of Crocodiles in search of leeches and other parasites which adhere to the great reptile's gums. 54 BIRD GALLERY. Family VI. GLAREOLID^:. PRATINCOLES. [Case 29.] The members of this family are all confined to the Old World, and in general appearance bear little resemblance to Plovers. In their long wings, mode of flight, and general appearance they recall the Terns, while on account of their wide gape and from the fact that much of their time is spent in hawking insects on the wing like Swallows, they were actually placed with that group by Linnseus. In the genus Glareola, which includes the Common Pratincole (G. pratincola) (567), the tail is deeply forked, but in the allied genus Galactochrysea (569-570) it is either emarginate or square. The Common Pratincole occasionally wanders to Britain on migration, and the Black-winged Pratincole (G. melanoptera] (568) has also occurred on the coast of Kent. A remarkable long-legged form, Stiltia Isabella (566), has the first flight-feather greatly lengthened and attenuated towards the tip. Family VII. PARIUD^:. JACANAS. [Case 29.] The Jacanas closely resemble some of the Rails, but are nevertheless more nearly allied to the Plovers. They are specially remarkable for the great length of the toes and claws, the latter being enormously elongated. Their widely spreading but extremely light feet enable these birds to walk with ease over the leaves of water-lilies and other floating herbage. All the species have the wing armed with a spur placed at the bend of the wing, but in some this weapon is long and very sharp, while in others it is blunt and much less developed. Some, such as the Australian Jacana (Hydraleclor gallinaceus) (576) and the common South American species (Jacana jacana} (574), have conspicuous fleshy wattles round the base of the bill. With the latter species three very beautiful nestlings are exhibited. The largest species is the Pheasant- tailed Jacana (Hy drophasianus chirurgus) (577) of India and the countries to the east, while the smallest form is the little African species (Microparra capensis) (575). Family VIII. CEDICNEMID^E. STONE-PLOVERS. [Case 29,] The Thick-knees, known also as Stone-Curlews and Stone-Plovers, are allied to the Plovers, and form a connecting linff between them and the Bustard with which they are here associated. About twelve species, grouped in three genera, are found throughout the temperate and tropical portions of the Old World and in Central and South America. The Common Stone-Curlew, Thick-knee, or Norfolk Plover ((Edicnemus cedicnemua] (578), ranging from South and Central Europe to N. Africa and India, is a summer- visitor to many parts of England and resident BUSTARDS. 55 in the south-western counties, the open wolds and shingly parts of the coast being its favourite resorts. The eggs, usually two in number, are laid on the bare ground, often among stones which they closely resemble in colour. As is indicated by their large eyes these birds are to a great extent nocturnal in their habits, and they are of service to man in destroying numbers of slugs, beetles, field- mice, &c. Representatives of the other genera will be found in the Australian Thick-knee (Burhinus grallarius) (580) and the Large-billed Thick-knee (Orthorhamphus magnirostris) (579), which range from the Malay Archipelago to the shores of Australia. Family IX. OTIDID^. BUSTARDS. (Plate IX.) The Bustards are an Old World group of heavily-built birds, and are [Cases represented by numerous species presenting great variation in size. ^9» ' All are inhabitants of the plains and deserts, and their stout legs and short thick toes, recalling those of the Ostrich-tribe, enable them to walk and run with great rapidity. In spite of their large, some- what clumsy bodies, their flight is often rapid and prolonged, and three species occasionally visit Britain during the colder half of the year. Of these the Great Bustard (Otis tarda) (585) [PJ. IX.] was formerly an abundant resident on the extensive downs and plains of England, but has long since disappeared, except as an occasional visitor ; while the Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax] (583) and the Houbara or Macqueen's Bustard (Houbara macqueeni] (589) are stragglers, the latter having occurred on three occasions only. When courting the female, the male of the Great Bustard has an extraordinary method of showing off, and when at the height of his display presents one of the most curious sights imaginable. The tail is turned up and laid flat on the back, being kept in position by the long flight- feathers of the wings which are crossed above it; the pure white under-tail-coverts, inner secondary quills, and wing- coverts are then fully exposed and ruffled up so as to form a frill covering the entire back. At the same time the head is laid back between the shoulders, and by filling a specially developed pouch with air the neck is enormously inflated till only the crown of the head and ends of the long " whiskers " are visible. In this extraordinary posture the bird struts slowly in front of the female, springing round from time to time to exhibit the white under-tail-coverts. In the Case in the centre of this [Central bay, the appearance of the Great Bustard while engaged in his love- display has been admirably reproduced by Mr. G. Pick hard t. On the floor of Case 29 the size and position of the inflatable neck-pouch will be seen in the dissection made from a specimen which died in the Zoological Gardens during the mating-season. It is not known whether 56 BIRD GALLERY. this pouch is retained in adult birds throughout the year or developed afresh each season. A female of the Great Bustard with her downy nestlings may be seen on the floor of Case 29. The largest of all is the Paauw or Kori Bustard (Eupodotis kori} (592), from the plains of Africa ; and among the forms characterised by orna- mental plumes on the crown and neck we may draw attention to Macqueen's Bustard already mentioned above, and the Lesser Florican or Likh (Sypheotis aurita) (588), which is further remarkable for its acuminate flight-feathers. Order XIII. OPISTHOCOMIFORMES. Family OPISTHOCOMIDJE. HOATZIN. (Plate X.) [Table- The singular South American bird known as the Hoatzin (Gpistho- case in comus hoaziri) (594) is the only representative of this Order, and has been referred by different naturalists to the Game-Birds and other groups. In spite of its external resemblance to the Guans, it is perhaps more nearly allied to the Rails, while certain points of structure seem to indicate considerable affinity to the Cuckoos. It inhabits the banks of the Amazon and other great South American rivers, extending as far south as Bolivia. The skeleton presents many remarkable modifications, the sternum being unlike that of any other species of bird. The keel is much reduced and its posterior termination is flattened-out into a broadened surface which supports the greater part of the weight of the body when the bird is at rest. The enormous size of the crop has probably caused the curious modifications which the furcula, sternum, and pectoral muscles have undergone. The food consists of leaves and fruit, and the birds after death have a very unpleasant odour which prevents them being used as food. In spite of their large wings the flight of these birds is very feeble and awkward, and when disturbed they only fly for a very short distance. The nestlings, which can both see and crawl soon after they are hatched, have a well-developed claw on the pollex and index fingers of the wings by means of which they 'creep about among the branches assisted by the bill and feet. They can also swim and dive well. The nest, a loose platform of spiny twigs, is placed on branches overhanging the water, and the eggs closely resemble those laid by the Corn-Crake and other Rails. Order XIV. GRUIFORMES. CRANE-LIKE BIRDS. This Order includes the Cranes and a number of allied but some- what aberrant forms. In general external appearance they resemble CRANES. 57 the Storks and Herons, but structurally they are very different For instance, the nostrils in all Cranes (except the aberrant Kagu) are pervious, communicating freely with one another, and not separated by a bony partition (see p. 14 1), and the palate is schizognathous — that is to say, the maxillo-palatiue bones are not united with one another or with the vomer (p. 145). The young are hatched covered with down, and are able to take care of themselves soon after leaving the egg. Family I. ARAMID^E. LIMPKINS. The Limpkins (598), including two American species, variously [Case 31.] known as the Clucking Hen, Caran, Courlan, Lamenting Bird, or Crazy Widow, on account of their oft-repeated piercing cry, are large long-billed birds forming a link between the Cranes and Rails. Osteo- logically they are most nearly related to the former, but in their external appearance, flight, and mode of life they resemble the latter. The South-American Limpkin (Aramus scolopaceus) (598) ranges over a large part of that continent, frequenting the beds of streams and marshes. The nest, which is placed among the rushes, contains ten or twelve Rail-like eggs. Family II. RHINOCHETID^:. KAGUS. The only representative of this family is the Kagu (Rhinochetus [Case 31.] jubatus) (600), a native of New Caledonia. The shape of the bill and crest give the bird a Heron-like appearance, which is emphasised by the grey- coloured plumage. In a wild state its habits are said to be nocturnal; but in captivity it is active enough during the daytime, and exhibits considerable Crane-like dancing-powers. Family III. EURYPYGID^E. SUN-BITTERNS. (Plate XI.) These remarkable Rail-like birds are confined to Central and South [Case 31.] America. They resemble the Kagus in many points of structure and in being provided with powder-down patches. Only two species are known, and both possess remarkably handsome and variegated plumage. The species exhibited (Eurypyga major] (599) is a native of Central America and Colombia. It is mounted, with outspread wings, in a position the bird is fond of assuming. The nest is placed in a tree, and the nestlings, though covered with down, have to be fed by the parents for some time before they can leave the nest. 58 BIRD GALLERY. Family IV. CARIAMID.E. CAEIAMAS. (PL XII. fig. 1.) [Case 31.1 The position of these birds in the Avian system has given rise to much discussion. Some authors have placed them in the Accipitres, near the Secretary-bird, which they resemble in general appearance and in certain habits ; but the most recent work of anatomists seems to show that their proper position is with the Cranes. The Brazilian Cariama {Cariama cristata) (596) is a native oF South-eastern Brazil, living on the ground among the high grasses of the campos, where its loud screaming cry may frequently be heard. The nest is placed on low bushes, and the eggs are rounded and spotted like those of Cranes and Rails. Like the Secretary-birds, it kills its prey, such as rats, by striking down on them with its feet and reducing them to pulp. Family V. PSOPHIID.E. TRUMPETERS. [Case 31.] The Trumpeters, an example of which will be found in the common form (Psophia crepitans] (595), include about half a dozen species, all confined to South America. Their popular name is derived from their curious trumpet-like call, which is probably produced by means of the enormously developed trachea. Their favourite haunts are the moist forests, where, being extremely sociable birds, they are generally met with in flocks. The powers of flight are small, and being easily tamed, they are often to be seen in the settlements of the Indians in a domes- ticated condition. The nest is placed on the ground, and the eggs, unlike those of the other members of the Order, are white. Family VI. GRUID^E. CRANES. [Cases The true Cranes are long-necked, long-legged, stately birds-, generally 31, 32.] with bright patches of colour on the head, and with the inner secondary flight-feathers developed into drooping ornamental plumes. They are found in all parts of the world except South America. The character- istic cry is a very loud trumpeting sound, uttered with the head thrown back and the bill open, and produced by a peculiar convolution of the windpipe within the hollow keel of the breast-bone. The length and development of these convolutions depend on ag&, and they are entirely absent in very young birds. In the Crowned Cranes (Balearica) the windpipe is simple and does not enter the breast-bone. Cranes are gregarious, and during their migrations travel in single file or in V-shaped array, after the manner of wild Geese ; they frequent marshes and plains^ and are specially fond of the neighbourhood of lagoons and fields of rice and corn. Their peculiar habit of dancing and going through various graceful antics may be witnessed any day at HERONS. 59 the Zoological Gardens. Of the eighteen different species known, typical examples will be found exhibited. Of these we may call attention to the Common Crane (Grus grus] (601), a regular summer-visitor to Europe, the Saras Cranes (Antigone], of which A. sharpei (605) is common in Burma and A. australasiana (604) is well-known in Australia as the " Native Companion/' and the great African Wattled Crane (Bug er anus carunculatus) (606). Two very elegant forms are the Stanley's Crane (Tetrapteryx paradisea) (608) and the Demoiselle (Anthropoides virgo] (609) ; but perhaps the most striking are the Crowned Cranes (Balearica) (610, 611), with their curious brush-like crests. The eggs, two or sometimes three in number, are laid in a more or less extensive nest placed on the ground. Order XV. ARDEIFORMES. HERON-TRIBE. The Herons, Storks, and Ibises included in this Order differ from the [Cases 33 34 n Cranes in possessing a bridged or desmoguathous palate (see p. 145), while their young are hatched in a helpless condition and have to be fed in the nest for a considerable period. In the true Herons the bill is almost always long, straight, pointed, often serrated on the edges, and specially adapted for the capture of fish, while the legs and toes arc long and suitable for wading. In spite of their structure, apparently so unsuited for an arboreal life, they perch readily on trees, and many species build their loosely-constructed nests of sticks among the branches, either singly or in colonies. In flight the head is drawn back between the shoulders. Many of the species assume ornamental plumage during the nesting-season, either in the form of long crest-feathers or elongate plumes on the breast or back. It is from the long (t dorsal train" of the Little Egret (Garzetta garzettd] (642), the Snowy Egret (Garzetta candidissima), and the American Egret (Herodias eyrettd), as well as from other allied species [see PI. XIII.], that the ornamental plumes known among dealers as " Ospreys " are procured. The majority of the Herons lay eggs of a beautiful greenish-blue colour, but those of many of the Bitterns are white or yellowish- brown. Family I. ARDEID^E. HKRONS. (Plates XIII., XIV.) The Bitterns (Bvtawus), of which examples will be found on the rcases floor of Case 33, are seldom found far from marshes ; their flight 33, 34.] is laboured and slow, but they can run and climb among the water- plants with surprising ease. They frequently attempt to conceal themselves by assuming an upright position with the bill held vertically, 60 BIRD GALLERY. and their buff-striped breast turned towards the spectator. In this position they so closely resemble the surrounding reeds that they easily escape detection. The visitor's attention is directed to the Little Bittern (Ardetta minuta) (622) [Plate XIV.], which has been mounted to illustrate this marvellous instinct of self-preservation. Owing to the draining of the extensive reed-swamps and constant persecution the Common Bittern (B. stellaris) (615) ceased to breed in this country, though it continued as a winter-visitor in small numbers. Now, thanks to protection, a few pairs nest annually in East Anglia, and its booming cry is again to be heard across the fens. The American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus] (613) is an occasional visitor to our shores. Passing by the handsome Asiatic Bitterns (Dupetor] (617), the Buff- backed Heron (Bubulcus lucidus) (621), and the Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides) (620), we come to the Tiger- Bitterns (626-628), very hand- some birds represented by several genera, and the Green Herons (Butorides) (632-634), which form a connecting link between the Bitterns and Herons. A very remarkable type with wide, shoe-shaped bill will be found in the Central American Boatbill (Cancroma) (629), a bird of nocturnal ("Case 34.] habits. On the floor of the next Case several species of the nearly allied Night-Herons (Nycticorax} (637-639) are exhibited, of which the chestnut-backed species are the most handsome, and the common grey species (N. nycticorax} (639) is an almost annual visitor to our shores. The Reef-Herons (Demiegretta) (645) are noteworthy as possessing two phases of plumage — a white form and a grey one. The same phenomenon is exhibited in the Blue Heron (Florida ccerulea) (647) and in the Reddish Egret (Dichromanassa rufa) (646), where one form of the species is white and the other rufous. One of the most graceful and elegant species is the Great White Heron (Herodias alba) (648), which ranges over a large part of the Old World. As already stated, it is from Herons and Egrets [Plate XIII.] in their nuptial plumage that the ornamental plumes known as " ospreys " are procured. Passing by the handsome Purple Heron (Phoyx purpurea} (650), we may specially draw attention to the Great Heron (Ardea goliath) (651), which, as its name implies, is the giant of the group ; and, most familiar of all, the Common Heron (A. cinerea) (652). Heronries, as the colonies of nests are called, are found in many parts of Great Britain arid Ireland. After the breeding-season is over, the majority of the birds disperse over the country. Many go down to the coasts and remain away during the autumn and winter, only returning in spring, but, if the season is a mild one, they begin to lay in the beginning of March or even earlier. Their appetite is insatiable, and they destroy large numbers of fish, frogs, young water-fowl, and even water-rats. STORKS. 61 The Storks, which form the next section of this order, include several families represented by some remarkable forms. Family II. BAL.ENICIPITID^:. SHOE-BILLED STORKS. The Whale-headed Stork or Shoe-bill (Balaniceps rex) (654) is [Case 35.] certainly the most striking and extraordinary of all the Storks. It is confined to the marsh-countries of the Upper Nile, and thence ranges southwards through the great system of lakes as far south as Nyasa. Though it perches freely on trees, it places its nest in the reeds or high grass immediately on the water's edge. Its principal food consists of fish and reptiles, and its strongly hooked bill seems specially adapted to seize and rip open turtles arid the mailed fishes with which the waters of Central Africa abound. Family III. SCOPID^:. HAMMER-HEAD STORKS. The Hammer-head (Scopus umbrettd) (655), as in the preceding [Case 36.] instance, is the sole representative of a distinct family, which inhabits Madagascar and a large part of the Ethiopian Region. It frequents wooded districts, and is generally met with in pairs. The nesting- habits are remarkable, for the birds build an enormous structure of sticks lined with roots and clay, with an entrance in the side and usually a flat top. This mass, sometimes amounting to quite a cart- load, is placed either on a tree or rock, and contains from three to five Avhite eggs. Family IV. CICONIID^E. STORKS. A number of genera are included in the true Storks. On the ground- [Cases floor of the Case the visitor will find the ungainly and rather repulsive 35» 36>] looking Adjutant (Leptoptilus dubius) (656), with its bare pinkish-red head and neck and pendulous pouch, which can be inflated at will and is apparently merely ornamental. This species and its two close allies all possess the beautiful soft under tail-coverts known as " Marabou " feathers, which are in demand for purposes of millinery. In India this bird is protected on account of its utility as a scavenger, and may often be seen in the streets of the towns, devouring carrion and fearless alike of man and dog. The genus Ciconia is represented by the White Stork (C. alba) (657) and the Black Stork (C. nigra) (658), both of which are occasional stragglers to Great Britain. As in their allies, the absence of the so-called " intrinsic muscles " deprives them of voice, and the only sound they can produce is a loud clatter made by beating the mandibles rapidly together. If flying, they hold the neck straight forward like 62 BIRD GALLERY. the Hammer-head, and may thus always be distinguished on the wing from Herons. Many of the species are migratory, the common White Stork being a summer-visitor to Europe, where it is carefully protected and encouraged to build its nests on the houses and in the gardens. A very large and striking species is the Saddle-billed Stork (Ephippio- rhynchus senegalensis] (659), which inhabits Tropical Africa; and no less handsome in their way are the Black-necked Jabiru (Xenorhyn- chus) (660) and its American ally (Mycteria] (661). The Open-billed or Shell-Storks (Anastomus) (664, 665) are remarkable for their nut- cracker-like bill, so well adapted for breaking open molluscs, which form their principal food. The peculiar gap in the bill is not seen in the young, but seems to develop as the birds get older. Passing over the White-necked Stork (Dissura microscelis] (663), with its curiously deeply-forked tail, and the White-bellied Stork (Abdimia aldimii] (662), which looks like a miniature Black Stork, we come last [Case 35.1 to the Wrood-Ibises, a somewhat isolated group, of which an example will be found in the beautiful African species (Pseudotantalus ibis) (668), with its striking white, black, and dull crimson plumage. Family V. IBIDID^. IBISES. The Ibises are numerously represented, and all may be readily dis- tinguished from their near allies the Spoonbills and from the Storks by the long, curved, "Curlew-like " bill, with the nasal groove extending nearly to the extremity. The White and Scarlet Ibises, belonging to the genus Eudocimus (667, 668), are striking American species, espe- cially the latter. The Glos:sy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus] (669) is of special interest, having visited Great Britain on many occasions; and other striking forms will be found in the Giant Ibis (Thaumatibis} (670) from Cochin China, the crested Madagascar genus (Lophotibis) (671), the African Hadadah Ibis (Hagedashia] (675), the Wattled Ibis (Eostrychia) (674), and the curious straw-necked Australian form (Car- phibis) (677). The most interesting of all is, however, the Sacred Ibis (Ibis tethiopica) (678), which was regarded with great veneration by the ancient Egyptians, as is shown by the many mummies of these birds found in the temples. Family VI. PLATALEID.E. SPOONBILLS. The Spoonbills, represented by three genera and several species, are at once distinguished from all the other long-legged Storks and Herons by their remarkably shaped flattened bill. One of the handsomest is the Roseate Spoonbill of America (Ajaja] (679), and another striking bird is the allied Australian form (Platibis) (680) ; but the most familiar is the common species (Platalea leucerodia) (682), which once bred DUCKS. 63 regularly in England, but is now only a straggler to our shores. Like its allies, it almost always breeds in colonies ; the nest, a mass of twigs, flags, or sticks, is sometimes placed in reed-beds or on low bushes, but more usually in a tree. Four or five rough white eggs with red- brown spots are the full complement for a sitting. Order XVI. ANSERI FORMES. DUCK-TRIBE. Family ANATID^E. MERGANSERS, DUCKS, GEESE & SWANS. The cosmopolitan family Anatidcs, which alone comprises this Order, [Cases includes the Mergansers. Ducks, Geese and Swans. They are all easily 3^7^ . J J & Central recognised by their external characters, such as the flattened or partially Case.] flattened bill, short legs and fully webbed toes, which distinguish them from the Screamers and Flamingoes. The majority of the species find their food under the water, which is drained away between the lamellfe with which the edges of the soft-skinned bill are provided, and which act like a sieve in retaining the substances or animalcules fit for food. In the Geese these lamellae are harder and adapted for cutting grass, while in the Mergansers they are recurved to prevent the captured fish from escaping. A curious feature about many of the Duck's, apparently peculiar to all those species in which the male is more brightly coloured than the female, is that after the young are hatched the male moults his bright plumage and assumes a dull- coloured dress similar to that of the female. This change is no doubt protective, for during the moult the male, having cast all his flight-feathers, is practically helpless. The " eclipse " plumage lasts for several weeks till the quills have been renewed, and is then replaced by new feathers of the normal bright livery. On the lower shelves of this Case the visitor will find various species [Case 37.1 of " Saw- bills/' as the genus Merganser and its allies are commonly called. The Red-breasted Merganser (M. serrator) (684), the Goosander (M. castor] (685), and the beautiful Smew (Mergus albellus) (686) are all three British species, the first two breeding in the north of Scotland. The Merganser is much the commonest and is particularly hated by fishermen on account of the enormous numbers of fish it catches, including small trout and salmon-fry. A remarkably handsome species is the North-American Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) (687), which has occasionally been obtained in Great Britain and Ireland during severe winter-weather. The Red- breasted Merganser hides its nest among thick heather or coarse grass, but the other species men- tioned almost always select a hollow tree. The genus Merganetta, represented by the Chilian Merganser or 64 BIRD GALLERY. Torrent-Duck (M. armatd) (688), frequents the high mountain torrents of the Andes, and forms a link between the true Mergansers and the stiff-tailed Diving-Ducks, but differs from the former in having no teeth on the edges of the mandibles and in having the bend of the wing armed with a strong spur. The New Zealand Soft-billed Duck (Hymenolamus malacorhynchus) (689) is worthy of special notice on account of its remarkable bill with a dependent membrane, suited for the capture of insect larvae on which it principally feeds. [Case 37.] The Stiff-tailed Ducks, so-called from their rather long, narrow, rigid tail-feathers which are often carried erect when the bird is swimming, include several genera of which representatives will be found in the White-headed and Australian species of Erismatura (690, 691), the American Masked form (Nomonyx) (693), and the Musk-Duck (Biziura lobata] (692). The latter, whose name is derived from the strong musky odour of the sitting female, frequents the seas as well as the lakes of Australia and Tasmania. It is much the largest species of the group, and remarkable on account of the leathery chin-pouch found in both sexes. The appendage opens under the tongue and is largest in the male, giving the bird a very peculiar appearance. Like its allies it is an expert diver and can remain for a long time submerged. It seldom, if ever, flies in the daytime, but will do so at night. The nest is placed in a swamp or in a bank, and contains two or three olive- coloured eggs. Of Sea-Ducks we may first mention the Eiders, which are all in- habitants of northern waters, and are represented by S teller's Eider (Heniconetta stelleri] (694) and the King- and Common Eiders (Somateria spectabilis (695) and S. mollissima (696)), all of which are included in the British List. Their nests supply the " Eider down " which forms an important article of export in countries such as Norway, where the common species is protected by law and consequently exceedingly numerous. It will be noted that the series exhibited shows the [Case 37.1 changes from summer- to winter-plumage in both the old and young drakes, the le eclipse" or intermediate autumn-plumage being specially interesting. [Case 38.] The South-American Rosy-billed Duck (Metopiana) (697) is often kept on ornamental waters in this country. . The Pochards (Netta and Nyroca) include the Red-crested (698) and Ferruginous (701) species, both of which occur in Great Britain as occasional stragglers, as well as the Common Pochard (699) and the Canvas-Back (700) from North America, famous for its excellent qualities as a bird for the table. The Tufted Duck (Fuligula) (703) breeds plentifully on the lochs and ponds of Great Britain and Ireland, and is easily recognised by the long drooping occipital crest developed in both sexes ; the Scaup DUCKS. 65 (704), belonging to the same genus, has been proved to breed occasionally in the north of Scotland. The drakes of both the Golden-eye (706) and Buffel-headed (707) Ducks (Clangula) are very handsome black-and-white forms and these species are included in the list of British Birds, the former being a regular winter-visitor, but the latter only a rare North American straggler. Another common winter- visitor to our coasts, the Long-tailed Duck (Harelda) (708), is said to breed occasionally in the Shetlands, but the remarkably handsome Harlequin (709), which is placed next to it, is only an accidental straggler from the north. The Scoters (CEdemia), of which three species are exhibited, are all [Case 38.] British Sea-ducks. The males are easily recognised by their black plumage, the common species (CE. nigra) (710) being numerous on our coasts, especially in winter. Lastly we come to the large Steamer or Logger-head Duck (Tachyeres) (713), from the coasts of Chile and the Falkland Islands ; only the young birds are able to fly, the adults losing the power of doing so. Passing by the curiously marked Freckled Duck (Stictonetta) (715) [Case 39.] of South Australia at the foot of the Case, we come to the various species of Teal, a large group of smaller species referred to several genera. Among the most striking we may mention the very hand- some Cinnamon- Teal (Qmrquedula cyanoptera) (717). The Gar- ganey (Q. circid) (719), the Blue-winged (Q. discors) (718), and the American Teal (Nettion carolinense) (724) are all on the British List, but the last two only appear as accidental visitors. Closely resembling the last we have the Common Teal (N. crecca] (725), and may draw attention in passing to the drake exhibited in complete "eclipse- plumage " like that of the female. The most beautiful member of the genus is, however, undoubtedly the Baikal Teal (JV. formosum) (728), and another very fine bird is the Falcated Teal (Eunetta falcata) (729) with its green occipital crest. Of the genus Anas which follows several species will be found. [^ase «*•] The Spotted-billed Duck (A. pcecilorhyncha) (732) is a familiar Indian species, and one of the most striking is the Crested Duck (A cristatd) (734) from South America. The Wild Duck or M'allard (A. boscas) (735) is shown in various stages of plumage, the drake of the middle pair being in " eclipse-plumage." At the foot of this Case we find some Ducks with remarkably [Case 40.] formed bills specially adapted for retaining small shells, insects, and vegetable matter. The Shovelers (Spatula) (737 & 738) include four species, two of which are exhibited, and the so-called Pink-eved Duck (Malacorhynchus membranaceus) (739), which has a patch of pink feathers behind the eye. The Common Shoveler (S. dypeata) (738) P 66 BIRD GALLERY. breeds in many parts of Great Britain, and has greatly increased since the Act for the Preservation of Wild Fowls was passed in 1876. A rare and all but extinct form is the Flightless Duck (Nesonetta aucklandica) (740)., from the Auckland Islands, to the South of New Zealand . The Pintail (Dafila acuta) (742) and the Gadwall (Chaulelasmus streperus) (743) both breed in Great Britain, but are very local; males of both these species in "eclipse-plumage" resembling that of the female are exhibited. Next come the Wigeons (Mareca), of which the typical species (M. penelope) (745) is one of the commonest British Ducks, while the American Wigeon (M. americana) (746) occasionally visits our coasts as a straggler from North America. [Case 40.] The Sheld-Ducks (Tadorna and Casarca) are represented by various handsome species, but none more strikingly so than the common species T. cornuta (750), which is an abundant resident on our coasts. The female scarcely differs from the male in plumage, the markings being only rather paler and less defined. This species has a curious habit of breeding in burrows, which it either excavates for itself or appropriates from other burrowing animals. The only other member of the genus is the remarkable looking Australian form (T. radjaK} (751). Of the genus Casarca the most farnilar is the Ruddy Sheld-Duck (C. rutila) (748), which occasionally visits our coasts in considerable numbers and is frequently kept on ornamental pieces of water. The inter-tropical genus Dendroci/cna includes the Tree-Ducks, mostly birds of chestnut or brown plumage. They are remarkable for their long hind toe, and habitually perch on trees, placing their nest, which contains from six to twelve eggs, in a hollow tree, on a stump, or in long grass. The geographical distribution of some of the species of Tree-Duck is very remarkable, D. viduata (754) being found in S. America and the west Indies as well as Africa and Madagascar, while D. fulva (753) ranges from the United States and S. America across Africa and Madagascar to India and Burma. The last species in this Case is the Egyptian Goose (Chenalopex cegyptiaca) (755). [Case 41.] Commencing at the foot of the next Case we come to the "Grey" Geese belonging to the genus Anser. Of these the Grey Lag (A.ferus) (760) is the only species that breeds in Great Britain, a few pairs remaining to nest in the north of Scotland and in the Hebrides. The Pink-footed (757), Bean (758), and White-fronted Geese (759) are all regular visitors to our coasts during the colder months, while the Lesser White-fronted (Anser erythropus) (759 a), and the Snow-Goose (Chen hyperboreus) (761), a North American species, sometimes occur in very severe weather. The Bernacle-Goose (Branta leucopsis) (763) is another DUCKS. 67 regular visitor, being more numerous along our western shores, and its handsome red-breasted ally (B. ruficollis] (765) very rarely wanders as far west as Great Britain. The commonest species that visits us is undoubtedly the Brent-Goose (Branta bernicla] (764), which is specially numerous along the east coast and may sometimes be seen in almost countless multitudes. The two forms of this bird are exhibited ; the one having the underparts pale whitish-grey, while in the other they are dark grey or brown. Another familiar member of this genus is the large Canada Goose (B. canadensis) (762), which has for more than two centuries been domesticated in this country. The Emperor-Goose (Philacte) (766) and the Sandwich Island Goose [Case 41.] (Nesocheri) (767) are two somewhat remarkable forms, the latter being a very rare species which inhabits the craters and lava-flows on the hills of the Hawaiian Islands. To rather a different group belong the South American Upland-Goose and its allies (Chloephaga) (768-770), the Abyssinian Dwarf-Goose (Cyanochen) (771), and the Australian Maned Goose (Chenonetta) (772). The Upland Goose is a familiar bird to many, for being a large, hand- some and hardy species, it is frequently kept on ornamental waters in this country. The last section of the Anatidae includes the Spur- winged Geese [Case 42.] (Plectropterus), represented by the N.E. African form P.ruppelli (773), characterised" by its high frontal knob, and the Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata] (774) of Tropical South America, with its bare red face and fleshy wattles, frequently kept in a domestic state both in this and other countries. Another remarkable form is the Indian and N. African Black-backed Goose (Sarcidiornis melanonota) (775), the bill of the male being ornamented with a fleshy comb which is about 2 inches high in the breeding-season. Both these and the Muscovy Ducks (774) nest in hollow trees. The White-winged Wood-Duck (Asacornis scutulatd) (776) and the [Case 42.] Pink-headed Duck (Rhodonessa caryophyllacea) (777), the only members of their respective genera, are both peculiar to the Indo-Burmese countries. The colouring of the latter is specially remarkable, the delicate pink head and neck being quite unlike that of any other Duck. The Pigmy Geese or Cotton-Teal (Nettopus) (778-780) are all natives of the Old World, and several species representing these handsome little birds are exhibited. The lovely Summer-Duck (782) of N. America, and the still more splendid Mandarin-Duck (781) from N.E. Asia and Japan, constitute the genus dEx. With the full-plumaged male of the former will be found another example in complete " eclipse-plumage " like that of the female. The Black-and-White Goose (Anseranas semipalmatus] (783) is the 68 BIRD GALLERY. representative of a distinct subfamily, with the toes only half-webbed and the hind toe very long and on a level with the other toes. Another striking semipalmate form, also the type of a different subfamily, is the Cape Barren Goose (Cereopsis novae, hollandice) (784) from South-east Australia and Tasmania. [Central In the large central Case in the middle of the Gallery will be found Case.] tjje gwans^ which constitute the last subfamily, Cygnince. Three species visit the British Islands, viz. the Mute or Polish Swan (Cygnusolor) (785), commonly seen on ornamental waters, the Whooper and Bewick's Swans (C. musicus (787) and C. bewicki (788)). Other forms exhibited are the North- American Trumpeter- Swan (C. buccinator) (786), the South-American Black-necked Swan (C. melancoryphus) (790), and, most graceful of all, the Australian Black Swan (Ckenopsis atrata) (789), which may be seen with its cygnets in the middle of winter on the ornamental waters in the London Parks. Lastly the Coscoroba Swan (Coscoroba Candida) (791), from the southern parts of South America, which forms a connecting link between the Swans and Geese. Order XVII. PHCENICOPTERIFORMES. Family PHCENICOPTERID^;. FLAMINGOES. *. r , .„ The Flamingoes, with their enormously long neck and legs and curious and decurved bill specially adapted for sifting their food, are so familiar that Central they require no description. They are found over the temperate and tropical regions of both the Old and New Worlds, the best known being the Common Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) (792). This bird is a migrant to Southern Europe and a rare straggler to Britain during the summer. It usually frequents the brackish and salt-water marshes near the sta-coast, where it congregates in large colonies and builds mud- nests which rise like little islands some inches above the surface of the water [see group in Central Case] . It was long supposed that the birds incubated their single egg by standing astride their nests with their feet resting in the water, but it has now been ascertained that their legs are doubled up under them and their long necks gracefully curled away over their backs. As in the Ducks, the young are able to run as soon as they are hatched. Other forms shown are the Ruddy Flamingo (P. rnber) (793) from Tropical America, and the Small Flamingo (Phceniconaias minor) (794), which ranges from Africa to India. SCREAMERS. PELICANS. 69 Order XVIII. PALAMEDEIFORMES. Family PALAMEDEID.E. SCREAMERS. This Order includes only three species referable to two genera, which, [cage 42.1 though most nearly allied to the Ducks, differ from them in many important particulars. The bill is short and fowl-like with a decurved tip, without laminae or tooth-like processes on the sides, and the long toes are only partially united by rudimentary webs. The skeleton shows some very remarkable peculiarities, such as the absence of uncinate processes to the ribs. The three known species are all peculiar to South America, and are represented by the Derbian Screamer (Chauna chavaria) (795), a heavy looking bird with the wing strongly armed with a couple of powerful spurs. They frequent marshes and shallow water, wading and swimming, and in spite of their weight are birds of powerful flight, soaring in immense spiral circles till they are almost out of sight. Standing with head thrown back, both male and female utter a very loud cry, which may be heard at a distance of two miles. Screamers are often kept by the natives in a state of domesticity, and prove efficient guardians of the poultry-yard against birds of prey and other enemies. Order XIX. PELECANIFORMES. PELICANS AND ALLIES. The members of this Order, often called Steganopodes, are character- [Cases ised by having the hind toe united to the second toe by a web, so that 43,44.] all four toes are webbed. In this respect they differ from all other birds. They are sociable in their habits, and as a rule feed and nest in companies, their food consisting almost exclusively of fish. Family I. PHALACROCORACID.E. DARTERS AND CORMORANTS. The four species of Darters or Snake-birds (Plotus) (797-799), two of which are exhibited on the lowest shelf of this Case, are fresh-water divers inhabiting the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world. They are remarkable looking birds, with the bill long and pointed and the edges of the mandibles serrated to enable the bird to hold its slippery prey. As may be seen by examination of the skeleton (798), the articulation of the cervical vertebrae is very remarkable and the curious " kink " in the neck, so characteristic of these birds, is really a spring-like arrangement worked by powerful muscles. When the bird spears a fish the " spring" is released and the bill darts forward 70 BIRD GALLERY. with lightning speed and unerring aim, and the prey is transfixed in a moment. The bird then rises to the surface, and jerking the fish into the air dexterously catches and swallows it. The flight is laboured, but in the water they are perfectly at ease, swimming with only the head and neck exposed, or, if danger threatens, with only the beak above the surface. When diving in pursuit of fish, the wings are but little used, the feet acting as powerful paddles. The nest, which is made of sticks and lined with roots or moss, is placed in a tree or bush, generally in company with many others. The eggs are from two to five in number, chalky greenish-blue, and much like those of Cormorants but smaller. [Case 43.] About forty species of Cormorants (Phalacrocorax] (800-806) are known, distributed over almost the entire face of the globe. The bill is more raptorial than in the Darters and furnished with a hook at the end. Two species occur commonly on our coasts, the Common Cormorant (P. carbo] (800) and the Green Cormorant or Shag (P. graculus) (801). The ornamental white plumes on the head and neck of the former and the crest on the latter are only assumed during the breeding-season and are afterwards shed. Examples of both these species in adult and immature, brown or brown-and-white, plumage are exhibited. Almost all the species are black, or black and white, more or less glossed with purplish, blue, or green. A number of very handsome [Case 43.] white-breasted species inhabit the colder parts of the Southern Hemi- sphere, ranging from South America to New Zealand. An example of these will be found in the White-bellied Cormorant (P. albiventer] (802) ; and two handsome little species from New Zealand and Australia, the Frilled and White-throated Cormorants (P. melanoleucus (805) and P. brevirostris (806)), are also exhibited. Family II. SULID^E. GANNETS. [Case 43.] The Gannets or Boobies (Sula) (807-810) are a widely distributed group of oceanic birds represented by about a dozen species. . They are easily recognised by their long, stout, tapering bill, sharply pointed at the tip and serrated on the cutting edges of the mandibles, their long pointed wings and wedge-shaped tail. All are birds of very powerful flight and capture the fish on which they prey by diving, the headlong plunge being made with great velocity from a considerable height. One of the most familiar is the Common Gannet or Solan Goose (S. bassana) (807), a well-known British species which nests at several stations, such as Lundy Island, Grassholm, the Bass Rock, Ailsa Craig, St. Kilda, the Little Skellig, &c. The nest, a mass of seaweed and grass, is placed on. a ledge of rock or, in some cases, on a low tree, and PELICANS. 7l the eggs have a pale blue shell overlaid with a chalky white coating. The closely allied Australian species (S. serrator) 808), also exhi- bited, differs in having the two middle pairs of tail-feathers black. A more slender and widely distributed form is the Red-footed Gannet (8. piscator] (809) ; and a different type is shown in the Brown Gannet or Booby (S. sula) (810), which has an almost cosmopolitan distribution. Family III. PELECANID^E. PELICANS. Pelicans (Pelecanus) (811-815) are so extraordinary in their appear- [Case 44.] ance that, when once seen, they can never be mistaken for any other bird. The great ungainly body, long flat bill hooked at the tip, enormous gular pouch, short legs, and waddling gait make up a truly remarkable whole. About nine species are known to inhabit the tropical and temperate parts of the world, frequenting not only tidal waters but lakes and swampy districts, where, being very gregarious in their habits, they often congregate in great numbers. In spite of their ungainly appearance they are perfectly at home both on the wing and in the water, and with head drawn back between the shoulders and legs extended beneath the tail, fly with great power. They frequently soar in a spiral to great altitudes, and with alternate flapping and sailing movements circle for hours. The food, which consists almost exclusively of fish, is generally captured by diving, but not infrequently a number of birds combine together and forming single, double, or even triple lines across a sheet of water, drive the fish before them towards the shallows, where they are easily captured. The White Pelican (P. onocrotalus) (811) is the most familiar, and in former times was a native of Great Britain. The Dalmatian Pelican (P. crispus) (812) is the largest of all and has a [Case 44. j curious crest of loose curled feathers, and the handsome Brown Pelican (P.fuscus] (815) is the smallest. The Australian form (P. conspicil- latus) (813) has a bare space round the eye enclosed by a ring of feathers. The North-American White Pelican (P. erythrorhynchus] (814) is remarkable for the curious horny excrescence which is developed on the upper mandible during the breeding-season and afterwards shed. Two of these horny discs, the castings of previous years, are exhibited with the head of this species. Family IV. FREGATID^!. FRIGATE-BIRDS. This family is represented by two species only, which are exhibited in ^Case 44*^ the Case. Both the Greater Frigate-Bird or Man-of-war Bird (Freqata aquila) (816) and the Lesser Frigate-Bird (F. arid] (817) inhabit the 72 BIRD GALLERY. intertropical oceans, and in outward appearance, as well as in habits, resemble some of the lower Birds of Prey, such as Kites. Their strongly hooked bill, large gular pouch, very short legs feathered to the toes which are only united by very small webs, immensely long wings, and deeply forked tail, are all striking characters. Their powers of flight are perhaps superior to those of any other bird, and they employ their great speed to overtake and rob the smaller sea-birds, harassing them till they drop or disgorge their prey, which is dexterously caught in mid-air and swallowed. They also kill and devour numbers of young birds, even those of their own species. The nest is made of sticks and placed in trees or bushes, sometimes on the bare rocks. The single egg is very similar in appearance to that laid by the Cormorant, and both sexes take part in the duties of incubation. Family V. PHAETHONTID^;. TROPIC-BIRDS. TCase 44 1 Only six species of Tropic- or Boats wain- Bird (Phaethon) (818-822) comprise this small family and, as their name implies, inhabit the inter- tropical oceans. They are easily distinguished from the other Pelican- like birds by their sharp-pointed bill serrated along the edges, and by the middle pair of tail-feathers being greatly elongate and attenuated. The legs are so very short that the gait on land is awkward and shuffling, and they can only rise with difficulty from the level ground. Tropic-Birds are often met with hundreds of miles from land, and their rapid night is performed by quick pulsations of the wings. They will often follow vessels for hours, sometimes soaring high overhead in circles or settling on the rigging. No nest is made, and the single mottled purplish-brown egg is generally laid in a hole or crevice of the cliff, though sometimes a hollow tree is resorted to. Of the three species exhibited the most striking is perhaps the Red-tailed Tropic- Bird (P. rubricauda) (818) with its silver-white plumage and scarlet streamers, while the Fulvous Tropic- Bird (P.fulvus) (820) from the Indian Ocean is another remarkable form. Order XX. CATHARTIFORMES. Family CATHARTID^;. TURKEY-VULTURES. Case 45.] These aberrant Birds of Prey are found only in America. In their habits they closely resemble the Vultures of the Old World, but they differ so much from the true Accipitrine Birds in their anatomy and osteology that they are now placed in a separate order. We may specially mention the peculiarity of the nostrils, which are pervious and not divided from one another by a bony septum or partition (p. 144, fig. 9). VULTURES. 73 Chief of the New World Vultures is the gigantic Condor of the [Table- Andes (Sarcorhamphus gryphus) (824), exhibited in one of the central case-J Cases in the Bay. It is one of the largest living birds, the expanse of the wings in some examples attaining to nine feet or more, as may be seen by an inspection of the fine adult male mounted with its wings partially expanded. Other remarkable birds of this group (Case 45) are the California!! Vulture (Pseudogryphus californianus) (825), now only found in Southern and Lower California, but formerly extending much farther north to British Columbia ; the King-Vulture (Gypagus papa) (826), with its brilliantly coloured bare face ; and the Black Turkey- Vulture (Catharistes urulu) (827) and its allies, common in the towns and villages from the Southern United States southwards. These latter when not molested become remarkably tame and fearless, walking about the streets in search of carrion. Order XXI. SERPENTARIIFORMES. Family SERPENTARIID^E. SECRETARY-BIRDS. (Plate XII. fig. 2.) This remarkable group of the Birds of Prey includes only two African [Case 45.] species belonging to the genus Serpentarius ; S. serpentarius (828) being confined to the southern and eastern parts of that Continent, while S. gambiensis ranges from Senegambia to Southern Abyssinia. The name " Secretary " is derived from the tuft of long feathers hanging over the back of the head, which are supposed to resemble the quill- pens an ideal secretary would carry behind his ear. The legs are abnormally long, the toes partially webbed, and the middle pair of feathers of the wedge-shaped tail are greatly elongate. These birds live almost exclusively on Reptiles and, as they destroy large numbers of poisonous snakes, are strictly protected by law. The Secretary usually kills its prey by delivering rapid forward kicks with its powerful feet, beating to pulp rats and such-like ; but if a venomous snake is attacked the body is carefully shielded with its outspread wings. It is said to kill reptiles occasionally by carrying them aloft and dropping them. The huge nest of sticks etc. is placed in a bush or tree, and the two or three eggs are white with rusty markings. Order XXII. ACCIPITRI FORMES. VULTURES, HAWKS, AND OSPREYS. This Order includes all the remaining Birds of Prey, characterised by [Cases their short, strong, sharp-edged beak, with the upper mandible curved 45-53.] downwards and terminating in a pointed hook, and by having all four 74 BIRD GALLERY. toes armed with strong curved claws. By means of these powerful weapons they are able to seize and kill their prey and to tear up the flesh. They are monogamous, and the female is generally larger than the male. The eggs are few in number, and the young when hatched are in a naked and helpless condition. Three families are recognised, the first including the Vultures (Vulturidee), the second the Eagles and Hawks (Falconidee), and the third the Ospreys (Pandionidcs). Family I. VULTURID^E. VULTURES. rr These Birds of Prey inhabit the tropical and subtropical portions of 45, 46, the Old World, where they represent the Turkey- Vultures (Cathartida} T *°d of America. As has already been mentioned above, they differ from the case.] latter birds in many important particulars, but in their habits they are very similar. They feed chiefly on the carcases of dead animals which their keen sight enables them to discover, and though many naturalists have maintained that it is chiefly by the sense of smell that they find their prey, there can be no doubt that this is a mistake, as has been proved by experiments. Their claws being short and rather blunt, Vultures rarely attack and kill living animals ; they are cowardly sluggish birds, endowed with extraordinary powers of flight. [Case 45,] The Cinereous or Black Vulture (V. monachus) (829), ranging from Southern Europe to China, is the only representative of the genus Vultur. It is rather solitary in its habits, breeding singly in trees and rTable- no* *n c°l°n^es ^6 tne Griffon-Vultures (Gyps fulvus) (830), all stages case.] of which, from the nestling to the adult, will be found exhibited in the adjoining Central Case. This southern European species is one of the most familiar, and is specially numerous in Spain, where it breeds [Case 45.] in caves in the perpendicular crags of the Sierras. Another represen- tative of the genus is the Himalayan Griffon- Vulture (G. himalayensis) (831). A closely allied form, the White-headed Vulture (Lophogyps occipitalis) (832) , will be found on the floor of the next Case, together '-' with the Sociable or Eared Vulture (Otogyps auricularis) (833) and the Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus] (834), which has on more than one occasion wandered to Great Britain. Family II. FALCONID^E. EAGLES AND HAWKS. (Plates XV., XVI., XXV.) ICase 46 1 Almost all the remaining Birds of Prey are included in this family, and are divided into six subfamilies, the Caracaras (Polyborince) , the Long-legged Hawks (Accipitrinae) , the Buzzards (Buteonince) , the Bearded Vultures (Gypaetince) , the Eagles (Aquilin ' Owls. The Great Eagle-Owl (Bubo ignavus) (970), common on the Continent though rare in Great Britain, is partly diurnal in its habits and extremely destructive, its great strength enabling it to kill not only large game-birds, rabbits and hares, but even fawns. Its rare Siberian ally (B. turcomanus] (971) from Central and Southern Asia, and the handsome Spotted Eagle-Owl (B. maculosus] (972) from S. Africa, are also represented. The Snowy Owl (Nyctea) (973), another very large species, inhabits [Case 54.] the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is a not infrequent visitor to the British Islands. Its habits are diurnal, and it preys on hares and other smaller rodents, as well as birds and fish. The female is more profusely barred with black than the male, whose plumage is sometimes pure white. The Hawk-Owls, represented by the North European species (Surnia ulula) (974) and the American subspecies (S. caparoch] (975), are also diurnal in their habits, both appearing on the British List as accidental stragglers to our shores. The Scops- or Tufted-Owls (Scops} include a very large number ot species and are found in nearly every part of the World. They are all birds of small size and of nocturnal habits. Several species are exhibited, including the common European form (S. scops) (976), which on many occasions has visited Great Britain, and the Screech Scops-Owl (S. asio) (977) of N. America, of which both the grey and rufous phases are exhibited. Another genus, the Brown Hawk-Owls (Ninox), with numerous species, ranges from Asia through the Pacific islands to Australia. N. scutulata (981) is a common Indian form, while N. strenua (982) and A", connivens Q 82 BIRD GALLERY. [Case 54.] (933) are Australian, the former, as its name implies, being the giant of the group. The Little Owl (Athene noctud) (984) , which was probably originally imported from Holland, is now a common bird in some parts of the British Isles. The allied genus of Pigmy Owlets (Glaucidium) contains numerous diminutive forms distributed over most regions of the Globe, and includes the smallest species of Owls, such as the Collared Pigmy Owlet (G. brodiei) (986) from the Himalaya, and the Common Pigmy Owlet (G. passerinum) (987) of Northern and Central Europe. Of special in- terest is the Burrowing Owl (Speotyto cunicularia) (989) of America, a small long-legged species, which lives in large communities in the burrows of the Prairie- mar mot and other Mammals, and is mainly diurnal in habits. The genus Nyctala is represented by both its members, Tengmalm's Owl (N. tengmalmi] (990), which inhabits the forests of Northern Europe, Siberia, and Arctic America and occasionally visits Great Britain, and the Saw-whet Owl (N. acadica) (991) from North America and Mexico. Next come the Eared-Owls (Asia), including two well-known British species, the Long-eared Owl (A. otus] (993), and the Short-eared, Marsh- or Woodcock-Owl (A. accipitrinus] (994). The former almost always breeds in trees, using deserted nests of crows or squirrels, while the latter invariably makes a nest on the ground. During the vole plague on the Scottish Borders in 1890—92 enormous numbers of Short- eared Owls made their appearance in the infested districts and remained as long as food continued plentiful. To the genus Syrnium belong the Tawny, Brown or Wood-Owl (S. aluco) (996) of Great Britain, and a number of other species such as the Mottled and Ural Wood-Owls, S. ocellatum (995) and S. uralense (998), from India and Northern Europe respectively. Of the Tawny Owl both the grey and rufous phases of plumage are represented. Closely allied to these is the Great Grey Owl (Scotiaptex cinerea] (999), the Arctic American representative of the Lapp Owl. The last member of this family is the Bay Owl (Photodilus badius) (1000), a peculiar form from the Indo-Malayan region, which occupies an intermediate position between the Bubonidce and the Strigidce. Family II. STRIGUD^E. BARN-OWLS. [Case 64.] The Barn- or Screech-Owls (Striae) representing this family are nocturnal in their habits, and, as they feed almost exclusively on small rodents, are extremely useful birds and entitled to protection. They are PARROTS. 83 nearly world-wide in their distribution, but do not extend very far to the north. The most familiar form is the Common Barn-Owl ($. flammed) (1003), generally distributed throughout the British Islands and locally common in Europe and North Africa. Order XXIV. PSITTACIFORMES. PARROT-TRIBE. The Parrots include about 500 species, which are grouped into [Cases about 80 genera and 2 families. They possess certain characteristics >55> 56fj £»«_> ~| Frog-mouths, Kingfishers, Rollers, Bee-eaters, Motmots, Todies, Hoopoes, Hornbills, Nightjars, Swifts, Humming-birds, and Colies. They differ greatly from one another in outward form, structure, and habits, possessing hardly a single feature in common by which they can be distinguished from other allied orders. Family I. STEATORNITHID^E. OIL-BIRDS. [Case 57.] The Oil-bird or Guacharo (Steatornis curipensis] (1110), the sole representative of this family, inhabits the caves in the northern and north-western portions of South America, and is also found in the island of Trinidad. Both in its general outward appearance and in its crepuscular habits the bird bears a strong resemblance to the Nightjars, with which it has generally been associated and to which it is evidently closely allied. It differs, however, from these birds in its strongly- hooked and deeply-notched bill, feeds mainly if not exclusively on fruits, and lays from two to four pure white eggs. The large cheese- shaped nest, made of clay-like material and exhibited in the Case, is placed on ledges or holes in caverns. When about a fortnight old, the young become extremely fat and as it were enveloped in a thick layer of yellow grease. They are then destroyed in large numbers by the natives, who melt down the fat into a colourless oil known as guacharo-butter, which is used for purposes of illumination and for cooking. Family II. PODARGID,E. FROG-MOUTHS. rCase 57.1 Tne Owl-like birds comprising this family are only met with in the Indian and Australian regions, and are closely related to the Nightjars, but differ entirely in their mode of nesting and, like the Oil-bird, the majority lay white eggs. Three genera are recognised, Podargus and ^Egotheles being confined to New Guinea and Australia, while Batrach- ostomus is found in the Indo-Malayan countries and islands. The Common Australian Frog-mouth (P. strigoides) (1111) makes a slightly constructed flat nest of sticks placed in the fork of a horizontal branch, and lays two white eggs, which are incubated by both parents. During the day these birds sleep in an upright position on the dead branch of a tree, the colour of their plumage harmonising so closely with their surroundings that they are almost invisible. Their prey appears to consist chiefly of insects such as mantis and locusts, captured on the tree-stems in a state of repose. The Eared Frog-mouth PICAHIAN BIRDS. 87 (B. auritus] (1113) represents a group of smaller but closely-allied birds with very handsomely coloured plumage ; the most diminutive members of the family are the Owlet-Nightjars such as ^E. novae- hollandice (1114), which live in holes in trees during the day and capture their prey on the wing like the true Nightjars, though their flight is said to be less tortuous. Family III. ALCEDINID.E. KINGFISHERS. (Plate XVIII.) This large family, comprising about 160 species, is universally but [Case 55.] very unequally distributed over the globe. The majority come from the Malay Archipelago, from Celebes to New Guinea, and from this centre they radiate in every direction. In all, the eggs are round, white and glossy, and deposited in a hole in a tree or bank. The species are divided into two subfamilies, the Water-Kingfishers, Alcedinince, and the Wood-Kingfishers, Daceloninee. The former, characterised by their long, slender, compressed bill with a distinct keel or ridge along the upper mandible, are mainly fish-eating species; while the latter, with a stouter, wider bill, prey on insects, Crustacea, reptiles, and occasionally on birds and small mammals. To the subfamily Alcedinina belong the Stork-billed Kingfishers, such as the Burmese species (Pelargopsis burmanica) (1115), which occasionally varies its fish diet with small reptiles and young birds, and the members of the genus Ceryle, distributed over the Old and New Worlds, and remarkable among birds of this group on account of the difference in the markings of the sexes. One of the largest is the Ringed Kingfisher (C. torquata) (1116), belonging to the grey-backed section of the genus, while the green-backed South American species are represented by C. superciliosa (1 118), one of the smallest of all the Kingfishers. The best known member of this section is the Common Kingfisher (Alcedo ispida) (1120) [PI. XVIII.J, the brightest of our indigenous birds and a familiar ornament of our rivers and lakes. Other smaller allied forms are the Malachite-crested Kingfisher (Cory- thornis cristata) (1 121), and the Little Blue Kingfisher (Alcyone pusilla) (1123), which has only three toes. The first of the Daceloninae to be mentioned are the diminutive members of the genus Ceyx (1124), which, like Alcyone, have only three toes, but frequent forests rather than streams ; the equally small and beautiful forms of Ispidina (1125, 1126) found in Africa; the curious Saw-billed species (Syma flavirostris) (1127) from Australia; and the Black-cheeked Carcineutes melanops (\ 128). The large genus Halcyon, containing more than fifty species, is represented by a number of very beautiful forms, of which we may specially mention the 88 BIRD GALLERY. I Sumatran and Lindsay's Kingfishers (H. concretus and H. lindsayi) (1136, 1137), and the strikingly handsome white- and-green species (H. saurophagus) (1139). Other notable forms are the Hooded and Blue-and- White Kingfishers (Monachalcyon monachus and M. fulgidus) (1139 a, 1140), the Sanghir Kingfisher (Citlura sanghirensis) (1141), the Huahine Kingfisher (Todirhamphus tutus) (1142), and the graceful Racquet-tailed species (Tanysipterd) (1143 1145), ranging from the Moluccas and the Papuan Islands to N.E. Australia. On the ground floor will be found the extraordinary Shoe-billed Kingfisher (Glytoceyx rex] (1146) from New Guinea, in which the sexes are somewhat differently coloured; the Hook-billed Melidora macrorhina (1147), and the " Laughing Jackasses" of Australia (Dacelo) (1 148-1 150) . These latter derive their trivial name from their extraordinary laughing note, familiar to many who visit our Zoological Gardens, and, unlike most of the Kingfishers, they thrive well in captivity. Family IV. LEPTOSOMATID.