222 HIS TOBY OF THE 



Colinus virginianus texanus (Lawr.). 



TEXAN BOB- WHITE. 

 PLATE Xni. 



This southwestern race, as a bird of Western Kansas, rests on 

 two specimens — adult females — in the U. S. National Museum, 

 collected May 27th, 1864, by Dr. Elliott Coues, on the Kepub- 

 lican River, in the northwestern part of the State. I have 

 been informed by military men and hunters that Bob-whites 

 were occasionally seen on the Cimarron River, south of Fort 

 Dodge, from 1862 to 1866. This was long before our birds, 

 in follow^ing up the settlements, had reached the central portion 

 of the State, and it is safe to conclude that the birds found 

 there were of this variety; and that they reached that vicinity 

 by following the old military trail north through the Indian 

 Territory, for the grains scattered along the route and at feed- 

 ing and camping places. Of late years the trail has been little 

 used, and as the country was without a settlement their disap- 

 pearance can be accounted for on the grounds that they have 

 been destroyed by enemies, or, for want of food and shelter, 

 could not survive the cold winters. 



B. 472. K. 4806. C. 573. G. , . U. 2896. 



Habitat. Northeastern Mexico, western Texas, and occasion- 

 ally north to western Kansas. 



Sp. Chae. "General appearance that of C. mrginianus. Chin, throat, fore- 

 head and strip over the eye white. Stripe behind the eye, continuous with a 

 collar across the lower part of the throat, black. Under parts white, with zig- 

 zag transverse bars of black. Above, pale brownish red, strongly tinged with 

 ash, the feathers all faintly though distinctly mottled with black; the lower 

 back, scapulars and tertials much blotched with black, the latter edged on both 

 sides and to some extent transversely barred with brownish white. Secondaries 

 with transverse bars of the same on the outer web. Wing coverts coarsely and 

 conspicuously barred with blackish. Lower part of neck (except before) streaked 

 with black and white. 



"Female with the white of the head changed to brownish yellow; the black 

 of the head wanting." 



Iris brown; bill and claws black; legs and feet olive gray. 

 This bleached and smaller form (one of several) does not in 

 its habits differ from the more eastern or typical Bob-white. 



