Sir Godfrey Kneller; and Edward Earl of Oxford, by
Dahl.

The visitor's way now lies to the north, into the third, or central
compartment of the gallery, the wall cases of which contain the
gallinaceous, or

SCRAPING BIRDS.

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 sple