ttlE SCALY PARTRIDGES. II7 



water-courses and the fields adjoining these, associating with 

 Gambel's Partridge. They are easily trapped in the fall and 

 winter, and many are caught by the natives and taken to the 

 markets of the larger towns of New Mexico and Arizona." 



Mr. William Lloyd writes from Marfa, Texas, as follows : — 

 " The Blue Quails love a sandy table-land, where they spend 

 considerable time in taking sand-baths. I have often watched 

 them doing so, pecking and chasing each other like a brood of 

 young Chickens. Good clear water is a necessity to them. 

 They are local, but travel at least three miles for water. In 

 the evenings they retire to the smaller ridges or hillocks, and 

 their calls are heard on all sides as the scattered covey collects. 

 Several times I have seen packs numbering from sixty to 

 eighty, but coveys from twenty-five to thirty are much oftener 

 noticed." 



Nest. — Placed on the ground under the shelter of a small 

 bush, in corn- and grain-fields, in meadows, potato-fields, or 

 almost barren flats. {Bendire.) 



Eggs. — Vary from nine to sixteen, but eleven or twelve are 

 generally found. Pale creamy-white to pale buff, finely dotted 

 or spotted all over with reddish-brown, vinaceous-buff, or fawn- 

 colour in different sets. Average measurement, 1-3 by i inch. 



SUB-SP. a. THE CHESTNUT-BELLIED SCALY PARTRIDGE. 

 CALLIPEPLA CASTANEIVENTER. 



CalHpepla squamata castanogastris, Brewster, Bull. Nutt. Orn. 



Club, viii. p. 34 (1883); Bendire, N. Am. B. p. 22, pi. i. 



figs. 6, 7 [eggs] (1892). 

 C.illipepla castaneiventer^ Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxii. 



p. 396 (1893). 

 Adult Male. — Differs from the typical C. squamata in having 

 the middle of the breast and belly deeper buff or ochreous ; a 

 dark reddish-chestnut patch on the middle of the belly. 



Adult Female. — The chestnut patch on the middle of the belly 

 absent or rudimentary. 



