This order is divided into four distinct families--the Pigeons, the
Curassows, the Pheasants, and the Grouse and Partridge tribe. Of these
families the museum contains a fine and complete collection. The
beauty of the pheasant family--its varieties ranging from the gaudy
splendour of the peacock to the more modest beauty of the common
hen--are here fully represented.
In the first case (84) of Scraping Birds, are grouped the Asiatic,
African, and Australian tree pigeons, which inhabit the woods, and
live on berries and various kinds of seeds. The collection includes
the Javan black-capped pigeon, and the parrot and aromatic pigeons of
India. The two next cases (85, 86) are filled with the true pigeons
and turtles of various parts of the world, in all their varieties--the
Indian nutmeg pigeon, and the Australian antarctic pigeon. The next
case is devoted to the common European turtle and the North American
migratory pigeon. The next case is filled with the varieties of the
ground Dove, among which the visitor should notice the ground turtle,
the West Indian partridge pigeon, the great crowned pigeon of the
Indian Isles, and the bronze-winged pigeon of Australia. Leaving the
pigeons behind, the visitor's attention is next called to the two
cases of Curassows (89, 90), the poultry peculiar to South America.
They feed on fruit, worms, and insects; and live in small flocks. The
curassows are followed by the varieties of the pheasant tribe, grouped
in thirteen cases (91-103). The three first cases are given up to the
splendid East Indian Pheasants known to Europeans generally, as
peacocks. They were brought to the west and valued for the beauty of
their plumage many centuries before the Christian era, and no doubt
helped to inflame the imagination of the Mediterranean merchants who
dreamt of the untold wealth of the Indies. The specimens of these
birds here preserved, are fine samples of the species. They include
the iris and crested peacocks, the Japan peacock, the Thibet
crossoptilon, and the Argus pheasant. The two following cases (94, 95)
of the pheasant family contain the varieties of true Asiatic
pheasants; but the visitor's attention will be immediately riveted
upon the specimens of the splendid Chinese pheasant known as Reeves'
Chinese pheasant. The plumage of this pheasant is very beautiful, the
feathers of the tail measuring sometimes between five and six feet in
length. The three following cases (96-98) are filled with varieties of
the pheasant from Indian climes. In the first case are the pheasants
from the Himalayan Mountains, and the pencilled variety from China. In
the third case the visitor should notice the handsome fire-backed
pheasant of Sumatra, the superb pheasant, Sonnerat's wild cock, and
the cock of Java. The two following cases (99, 100) contain the
remainder of the pheasant varieties. Amongst these the visitor will
find, the horned and black-headed pheasants of India, the American
turkey, the pintados of Africa and Guinea, and the pheasants from the
north of Asia that live upon bulbous roots, known as the Impeyan
pheasants. The immediate successors of the pheasants, in point of
order, are the Partridges, of which the collection contains three
cases (101-103). These birds inhabit both hemispheres, and specimens
of the different varieties are grouped in the cases. In the first case
the visitor should notice the Currie partridge, from Nepal, the Cape
and bare-necked partridges of Africa, and the sanguine pheasant; in
the second case, the common European partridge and quail, the red
European partridge, the Indian olive partridge, and the Andalusian
quail; in the third and last partridge case, Californian and crested
quails, and the Indian crowned partridge. Next in order are the
Grouse, grouped in two cases (104, 105). In the first of these cases
the visitor will notice the wood grouse of Scotland, and the ruffed
and other grouse of America; in the second case, the sand-grouse of
the scorching deserts. The last case of the scraping birds is occupied
by the Sheathbills, which, as the visitor will perceive, closely
resemble grouse. They are from South America; the tinamous, from the
warmer parts of the Continent; and the megapodius, of Australia and
the Asiatic islands.
It now remains for the visitor to notice a few of the paintings
suspended in this compartment, above the wall cases. These paintings
include a copy of Klingstad's portrait of Peter I. of Russia, three
historical portraits, presented to the museum by the Rev. A. Planta,
and a hunting scene by Geo. B. Weenix.
The visitor should now advance into the fourth compartment of the
gallery, the wall-cases of which are devoted to the specimens of