54 Dr. E. Coues — Field Notes on Lophortyx gambeli. 



although the plume is of the same general shape and character 

 as in the male, yet it is rarely, and then only very slightly, re- 

 curved, and is always much shorter. In an adult male in spring 

 the plume is pure glossy black, and from an inch and a quar- 

 ter to nearly two inches in length, averaging, perhaps, one inch 

 and a half. The female rarely, if ever, has a plume more than 

 an inch long. The number of individual feathers composing 

 this ornament varies greatly. Sometimes there is but a single 

 one, in other instances as many as eight or ten ; five or six is 

 the average. They all spring from a single point in the middle 

 of the vertex, just posterior to the white line that traverses the 

 crown from eye to eye. The individual fibrillse are rather 

 more loose, especially the terminal ones, than are those of ordi- 

 nary feathers. The webs are bent abruptly backwards from the 

 shaft until they are nearly parallel to each other, and the shaft 

 itself forms the convex anterior border of the feathers. Each 

 feather is thus folded or doubled back upon the one next suc- 

 ceeding, the whole being packed together in an imbricated 

 manner as one feather. The mobility of the crest is very con- 

 siderable, and is apparently entirely subject to the will of the 

 bird. So far as I have had opportunities for observing, it is 

 oftenest carried very nearly erect ; though at times it is strongly 

 inclined forward, overhanging the eyes or bill, or is allowed to 

 droop horizontally on the nape. 



Besides the distinction in the crest already mentioned, the female 

 differs from the male in the total absence of the chestnut, black, 

 and white markings of the head and throat, and she also wants 

 the large black abdominal area. In other respects she is similar, 

 except that there is a general dulness of all her tints, and that she 

 is considerably smaller. The difference in length amounts to 

 an inch or more, and her other dimensions are proportionally 

 less. The differences between adult individuals of either sex 

 are inconsiderable, and are chiefly confined to variations in the 

 extent and intensity of the markings. 



The moult, which takes place immediately after the comple- 

 tion of the duties of incubation, is exceedingly slow and gradual ; 

 so much so, that I have very rarely shot a specimen, at any 

 season, so depilated as to be unfit for preservation. The feathers 



