File:The bird, its form and function (1906) (14569380937).jpg

Identifier: birditsformfuncti00beeb (find matches)
Title: The bird, its form and function
Year: 1906 (1900s)
Authors: Beebe, William, 1877-1962
Subjects: Birds -- Anatomy Birds -- Physiology
Publisher: New York, H. Holt and company
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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Text Appearing Before Image:
Fig. 348.—Nest and eggs of California Partridge. to four young in the annual brood; so with the snake-birds. This brings us to the game-birds—the world-widetribes of partridges, pheasants, grouse, turkeys, jungle fowls,peacocks, and the like—which are of large size, run abouton the ground, and are of interest to sportsmen and epi-cures. With few exceptions, these must put forth a
Text Appearing After Image:
440 The Bird large complement of eggs (eight to twenty) in order tobring to maturity enough )Oung to replace the yearlymortality, for the ground-built homes and huddling chicksencounter a multitude of dangers to which birds in trees, oreven the small-sized ground-nesters, are not exposed. Oneexception here singularly favours the rule. The ThibetanPeacock Pheasant inhabits the heights of the Himalayas,where it has to contend with only three or four nest-robbers, instead of the countless foes that infest the lowerjungles; hence its ample breast warms but two eggs. The doves and pigeons lay only two eggs, and a fewlay but one; but this seems to be due to the fact thattheir extraordinary powers of flight render them, as adults,unusual immunity from capture and famine, rather thanto any special safety pertaining to their m^ethod of nidifi-cat ion. Hawks and owls in general have four or five eggs,and as this is about the average number of the smallbirds on which they largely prey, it seems

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