220 HISTORY OF THE 



B. 471. R. 480. C. 571. G. 223, 102. U. 289. 



Habitat. Eastern United States; north into Lower Canada; 

 south to the Gulf States; west to Dakota, Kansas, Indian Ter- 

 ritory and eastern Texas. 



Sp. Char. "Forehead, and line through the eje and along the side of the 

 neck, with chin and throat, white. A band of black across the vertex, and ex- 

 tending backwards on the sides, within the white, and another from the maxilla 

 beneath the eye, and crossing on the lower part of the throat; the under parts 

 are white, tinged with brown anteriorly; each feather with several narrow, ob- 

 tuse, V-shaped bands of black; the fore part of back, the side of the breast-, and 

 in front just below the black collar, of a dull pinkish red; the sides of body and 

 wing coverts brownish red; the latter almost uniform, without indication of 

 mottling; scapulars and upper tertials coarsely blotched with black, and edged 

 internally with brownish yellow; top of head reddish; the lower part of neck, 

 except anteriorly, streaked with white and black; primary quills unspotted 

 brown; tail ash. Female: With the white markings of the head replaced by 

 brownish yellow; the black ones with brownish. Young: Head ashy, with a 

 narrow postocular white stripe, and the ci'own spotted with black; throat whit- 

 ish; beneath pale dingy ashy, with whitish shaft streaks, and without black 

 bars or other markings; above reddish or olivaceous drab, the feathers with 

 whitish shaft streaks, and a large black spot, mostly on upper web. Chick: 

 Head dingy buff; an auricular dusky elongated spot, and. a vertical patch of 

 chestnut rufous, widening on the occiput." 



stretch of 

 Length. ivntg. Pl^/ng: Tail. Tarsus. Bill. 



Male 10.00 15.00 4.45 2.70 1.25 .55 



Female... 9.50 14.70 4.35 2.65 1.25 .50 



Iris brown; bill dark brown, usually pale brown at base of 

 under mandible; legs and feet pale bluish to brownish gray; 

 claws black. 



This familiar species is generally known in the New England 

 and Middle States as the Quail, and in the Southern States as 

 the Partridge. These names belong to other and quite dijfferent 

 — though closely allied — birds. At the suggestion of Profes- 

 sor Baird, "Bob-white," its cheerful call note, has become its 

 accepted and present name. The birds appear to thrive best in 

 the presence of man, and, were they protected and fed during 

 our cold winters, would soon become quite tame. They often 

 nest near our dwellings. In the spring of 1867, I was shown, 

 on Owl Creek, Woodson county, Kansas, a nest containing nine- 

 teen eggs. It was placed in the dooryard, and not over twenty- 



