34 JOURNAL OF Mx\INE ORNITHOLOGICAL .SOCIETY. 



As is natural over so wide an extent of territory, there is much 

 variation in size and coloring, but it is upon the great wheat plain 

 of Hungary, where they thrive best and are exceedingly numerous, 

 that the birds of this species attain their greatest size. 



The relationship of the Old World Partridges with our "Quails," 

 as w^e usually term them, seems to be very close. The American 

 group, as most of our members probably know, is separated from 

 its over-sea relatives chiefly because its mem1:)ers have a more or less 

 distinct serration on the cutting edge of the mandible near the tip. 

 This is scarcely apparent in some species. The bill in our Ameri- 

 can group {Odontophorhiis) seems more arched, giving it a 

 shorter and heavier appearance. In the Hungarian Partridge the 

 bill is noticeably flatter and longer than in our "Quails," and the 

 side view of the head gives a very pigeon-like appearance, save, of 

 course, the lack of the tumid membrane at the base of the bill as 

 shown in the pigeon. 



Of our American Partridges the species most suggesting this bird 

 is the Plumed Quail of California, though Perdix lacks the plumes, 

 is rather more brownish in his tones, and is of generally lighter 

 coloring. Our new citizen is plump and stocky, powerful in figure, 

 short of wing with a short tail, carried low in Quail fashion. I 

 weighed the largest of those which I had and he tipped the scales at 

 eleven ounces. He was in fair order, not fat, and in condition might 

 have weighed thirteen or fourteen ounces. The meat is dark, 

 which rather surprised me, for I had taken it for granted that it 

 would be white. 



As many of our members may be unfamiliar with the appearance 

 of this bird, a brief description uiay not be out of place here. Their 

 markings are as follows : top of the head, dark yellowish brown ; 

 throat, light reddish buff, with a broad band of the same shade run- 

 ning back above the eyes to the hind head ; above, in general a 

 brownish or yellowish ash, lightening toward the rump, the feathers 

 here, as also on the tail coverts, crossed by a broad subterminal 

 band of chestnut, and everywhere the feathers are finely barred with 

 broken, irregular dark lines ; the scapulars with more or less reddish 



