242 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on American Gallinse. 



]\Ir. Nelson thinks tliat he has discovered that the Odonto- 

 p/iorus meleagris Wagh \_cf. Isis, 1832, p. 278 (not p. 277 as 

 stated in the Cat. Birds and copied by Nelson) is a species 

 distinct from C. montezumce. 



He says: — "This Partridge {C. merriami) appears to be 

 closely related to Odontophorus mdeagris Wagler (Isis, 1832, 

 p. 277), but differs in having the white spots of the flanks on 

 a background of ashy gray instead of black. Like that 

 species it lacks the white collar on the neck, which in O. munte- 

 zumce separates the black of the throat from the chestnut 

 of the breast. Heretofore 0. meleagris has been placed as a 

 synonym of 0. montezumee, but the discovery of C. merriami 

 with the same general style of markings given for O. meleagris 

 indicates that the latter is probably a well-marked species 

 which has failed of recognition through lack of material. It 

 was described from Mexico and should take its proper place 

 in ornithological literature.''' Now there cannot be the 

 slightest doubt that 0. meleagris Wagl. is a mere synonym 

 of C. mordezumce. Either Mr. Nelson has not read Wagler's 

 description or has failed to understand it. Wagler very 

 clearly states that his bird has a white collar, for he writes : 

 '^ fascia colli inferioris .... sericeo-alba.^' One can easily 

 understand his describing the ground-colour of the flanks 

 as black, for in some specimens they are dark greyish black. 



2. Cyrtonyx sall^i (Cat. B. xxii. p. 427). 



Cyrtonyx merriami Nelson, Auk, xiv. p. 48 (1897) [East 

 slope of Mt. Orizaba, Vera Cruz]. 



There can be no doubt that C. merriami is a synonym of 

 the beautiful species described in 1859 as C. sallcei. The 

 aT)parent absence of the white collar on the fore-neck dividing 

 the black throat from the chestnut is probably partly due to 

 the make of the skin, but in this species the white collar 

 is always narrow and in one specimen before us is nearly 

 wanting. 



1. Dactylortyx thoracicus (op. cit. p. 429). 

 Dactylortyx thoracicus lineolatus [Gould) Nelson, Pr. Biol. 

 Soc. Washington, xii. p. 60 (1898). 



