642 



U. S. r. K. K, EXP. AND SURVEYS — ZOOLOGY — GENERAL REPORT. 



and the reddish of the jiigulum is paler, Tlie stripe behind the eye has more black ; the feathers 

 on top of the head are black, margined with brownish yellow, instead of being reddisli and 

 black. There are distinct transverse bars of dusky in every feather of the upper surface, (except 

 the head,) and in addition there are obscure light brownish yellow spots or bars on the back and 

 wings, the coverts especially, not found in virginianus. This light mottling is, perhaps, more 

 distinct in the female than the male. The light margins to the tertials are brownish white, not 

 brownish yellow. 



OREORTYX, Baird. 



Ch. — Body stout, broad ; bill largi! ; crest as in Lophortyx ; tail short, broad, scarcely more than half the wing, rounded, the 

 longest feathers not much exceeding the coverts. Legs developed, the claws extending beyond the tip of the tail ; the lateral 

 toes short, the outer claw falling considerably short of the base of the middle. Very similar to Orlyx, e-xcept in the crest. 



I do not find any genus already established for this bird, which appears to me worthy of 

 generic rank, and differing in marked characters both from Lophortyx and Callipejola. I am 

 unable to say whether more than one species can be included in it. 



OREORTYX PICTUS, Baird. 



Plumed Partridge ; Mountain Qnnil. 



Ortyx picia, Douglas, Truns. Linn. Soc. XVI, 1829, 143. 



Callipepla picla, Gould, Mon. Odont. pi. xv. — Newberry, Rep. P.ll.R. VI, iv, LS.")?, !Kt. 



Orlyx plumifera, Gould, Pr. Zool. Soc. V, 1837, 42.— Aud. Syn. 1839, ^00.— Id. Birds Amer. V, 1842, (iJ ; pi. 291. 



Perdix plumifera, Aud. Orn. Biog. V, 1839, 220 ; pi. 422. 



Lophortyx plumifera, Nuttai.l, Man. I, 2d ed. 1840, 791. 



Sp. Cii. — Head witli a crest of two straight feathers, much longer ihan the bill and head. Anterior half of the body grayish 

 plinnbcous ; the upper parts generally olivaceous brown with a slight shade of rufous, this extending narrowly along the nape 

 to the crest. Head beneath the eyes and throat orange chestnut, bordered along the orbits and a short distani-e behind by blacli, 

 Iraunded anteriorly and superiorly by while, of whicli color is a short lino behind the eye. Posterior half of the body beneath 

 while, a large central patch anteriorly (bifurcating behind,) with the flanks and tibial feathers orange chestnut brown, the sides 

 of body showing black and white bands, the former color tinged with chestnut. Under tail coverts black, streaked with orange 

 chestnut. IJpjier tertials margined internally with whitish. 



Length, 10. .'iO inches ; wing, 5 ; tail, 3.25. 



Hab. — Mountain ranges of California and Oregon towards the coast. 



The forehead is of a whitish ashy, fading into the plumbeous of the liead above. The white 

 mark in front of the eye completely encircles tlie base of tlie lower jaw, cutting olf the chestnut. 



