. Key to North American birds. Containing a concise account of every species of living and fossil bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary, inclusive of Greenland and Lower California, with which are incorporated General ornithology: an outline of the structure and classification of birds; and Field ornithology, a manual of collecting, preparing, and preserving birds . ouse, and perhaps all true grouse, have the tarsusmore or less feathered (fig. 35). The toes themselves are feathered in a few birds, as severalof the owls, and all the ptarmigans
. Key to North American birds. Containing a concise account of every species of living and fossil bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary, inclusive of Greenland and Lower California, with which are incorporated General ornithology: an outline of the structure and classification of birds; and Field ornithology, a manual of collecting, preparing, and preserving birds . ouse, and perhaps all true grouse, have the tarsusmore or less feathered (fig. 35). The toes themselves are feathered in a few birds, as severalof the owls, and all the ptarmigans (Lagojnis). Partial feathering of the tarsus is often con-tinued downward, to the toes or upon them, by sparse modified feathers in the form of bristles;as is well shown in the barn-owl (fig. 47). When incomplete, the feathering is generally want-ing behind andbelow, aud it isalmost invariablycontinuous abovewith the cruralphimage. But inthat spirit of per-versity in whichbirds delight toDrove everv rule Fig. 35.—Feathered ta,rsns of a, grouse, Cupidonia cupido. Nat. size. we establish by furnishing exceptions, the taisus is sometimes partly feathered curious example of this is afiorded by the bauk-swalloW; Cotile riparia, with its little tuft offeathers at the base of the hind toe; and some varieties of the barn-yard fowl sprout monstrousleggings of feathers fi-om the side of the The Length of Leg, relatively to the size of the bird, is extremely variable; a thrush orsparrow probably rejiresents about average proportions of the limb. The shortest-legged birdknown is probably the frigate-pelican, TacJiypetes ; which, though a yard long more or less,has a tibia not half as long as the skull, and a tarsus under an inch. The leg is very short inmany Picarian birds, as hummers, swifts, goatsuckers, kingfishers, trogons, etc., in many ofwhich it scarcely serves at all for progression. Among Passeres, the swallows resemble swiftsin shortness of their hind
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1896
