TINAMOU. The native, and now the pop ular. name for birds of the family Tinamithe, inhabiting the tropical portions of South America, having many remarkable features in their internal organization, and the striking external character that the tail is exceedingly short or entirely absent. Like partridges in general appearance, and varying in size from that of a quail to the bigness of a large grouse, and prevailingly brown in color, they are classed as game-birds in South America, and are fre quently called 'partridges.' Their flight is strong and swift, yet they haunt the undergrowth of dense forests or bushy and grassy flats, run with amazing rapidity, and conceal themselves with great skill, rather than take to flight. But they are rather stupid. and can be caught with a noose on the end of a stick, especially if they are ap proached on horseback. Their food is mis cellaneous, like that of game-birds generally. and
their voice a mellow whistle. The flesh is delicious. They make very simple nests on the ground, and lay eggs varying from reddish choco late, wine-purple or liver-color, to dark blue or green, and burnished to a metallic sheen. A typical example of the group is illustrated on the Plate of CASSOWARIES, ETC. This is the 'great' tinamou (Rhynehotus rnfescens), or `perdiz grande,' of Argentina.
The tinamous have been regarded by many systematists as within or near the Ratitte, but are placed by Gadow as a separate group of ordinal or subo•dinal rank among the Carinatte, between the falcons and the quails. Consult: Gadow, "Ayes," in Bronn's Thier-Reich (Leipzig, 1893): Evans. Birds (London, 1900) ; Newton, Dictionary of Birds (New York, 1S96) : Selater and Hudson, Argentine Ornithology (London, 18S9).