THE CALIFORNIAN QUAILS. 12 1 



I. THE CALIFORNIAN QUAIL. LOPHORTYX CALIFORNICUS. 



Tetrao calif omiciis^ Shaw and Nodder, Nat. Misc. ix. p. 345 



(1797?). ^ 

 Ortyx ca/ifornicus, Jardine and Selby, 111. Orn. i. pi. 38, ii. pi. 



107 ; Aud. B. Amer. v. p. 67, pi. 290 (1842). 

 Callipepla californica^ Gould, Monogr. Odontoph. pt. i. pi. 16 



(1844); Bendire, N. Am. B. p. 23, pi. i. figs 8-10 [eggs] 



(1892). 

 Lophortyx califoniicus^ Bonap. ; Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. B. Brit. 



Mus. xxii. p. 400 (1893). 

 Lophortyx califoniicus brimnescens^ Ridgw. P. Biol. Soc. Wash. 



ii. p. 94 (1884). 

 Callipepla calif arnica vallicola^ Ridgw. P. U. S. Nat. Mus. viii. 



p. 355 (1886) ; Bendire, N. Am. B. p. 26 (1892). 



Adult Male. — Crest of black club-shaped feathers ; throat and 

 cheeks blacky margined by a white band ; eyebrow-stripes and 

 a band between the eyes white ; sides and back of neck grey, 

 margined with black and spotted with white ; mantle, chest, 

 and tail grey ; lower back and rump greyish olive-brown ; wing 

 rather darker ; middle of breast buff, shading into chestnut on 

 the belly, and both margined with black ; sides olive-grey. Total 

 length, 97 inches; wing, 4-4; tail, 36; tarsus, i"25; middle 

 toe and claw, 1*45. 



Adult Female. — Crest shorter a7id browner; 710 black and white 

 pattern on head; throat zvhite, ivith dark shaft-stripes ; neck, 

 mantle, and chest brow?iish-grey ; under-parts zvhite, tinged 

 with buff on the belly ; sides andfla7iks olive-brown. Slightly 

 smaller. 



Range. — Western States of North America, extending north to 

 Washington, south as far as Cape St. Lucas, Lower California, 

 and eastwards to Nevada. It has been introduced into various 

 parts of the world. 



Habits. — "Their favourite haunts," says Prof. O. B. Johnson, 

 •'are the undergrowth and thickets along watercourses, brush 



