THE HARLEQUIN QUAILS. I47 



inches; wing, 47 ; tail, 2*1 ; tarsus, I'l; middle toe and claw, 



I-35- 



Range. — Mexico, extending north to Arizona and South- 

 western Texas, south as far as the city of Mexico, west to 

 Jalisco, and east to Tamaulipas. 



Hal)it3. — Mr. Dresser procured several examples of this 

 species, also known as the " Fool Quail " or " Black Part- 

 ridge," in Southern Texas, and remarks : — " I afterwards 

 found the bird on several occasions when riding along the 

 higher hill ranges, and altogether shot six, while a man who 

 was with me killed two more. In their habits they are more like 

 the Texan Quail than any other, but on the wing are easily dis- 

 tinguished, for they fly heavily, though very swiftly. When dis- 

 turbed they squat very close, and will not move until one is 

 close upon them ; indeed, I found them generally rise up almost 

 under my feet." 



Mr. William Lloyd, writing to Captain Bendire from Marfa, 

 Texas, says that " the favourite resorts of the Massena Part- 

 ridge are the rocky ravines or arroyas that head well up in 

 the mountains. They quickly, however, adapt themselves to 

 changed conditions of life, and are now to be seen around 

 the ranches picking up grain and scratching in the fields. In 

 the vicinity of Fort Davis, Texas, they have been exceptionally 

 numerous, and may frequently be seen sitting on the stone walls 

 surrounding grain-fields in Limpa Canon. In Mexico I have 

 seen them several times living contentedly in cages. In Mes- 

 quite Caiion they are the only Partridge found ; and in June 

 and July, 1887, I spent some time there trying principally to 

 locate the nest and eggs of this species. I found a single egg 

 in a depression at the roots of a tasaca cactus, presumably 

 belonging to this species. It was white, without any markings 

 whatever. While there, I was informed by two different parties 

 living in the vicinity that each of them had found a nest the 

 previous year, 1886, containing eight and ten eggs respectively, 

 which they had eaten. They described the eggs as being 



L 2 



