4 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA. [No. 4 



BIRDS OF THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. 



Oxyechus vociferus (Linnaeus). Killdeer. 



Throughout the spring of 1903, when water was abundant in the 

 mountains, and there were rinming streams in most of the washes be- 

 low, several pair of Killdeer were seen along the streams near the base 

 of the range. They could always be fovmd in about the same locality, 

 and presumably bred there. Along the San Pedro River they are quite 

 common, but this is the only year in which I have seen them near the 

 mountains. 



Callipepla squamata (Vigors). Scaled Partridge. 



Owing to the lack of cover near the base of the Huachucas, the 

 Scaled Quail is but seldom seen there; though it is a common resident 

 along the San Pedro River and up to within five or six miles of the 

 mountains ; as far, in fact, as the brush extends. I have seen a few birds 

 near the mouths of various canyons, usually in enclosed pastures, where 

 the grass and other vegetation attained a higher growth than elsewhere; 

 and very probably a few pair breed in such localities. 



Cyrtonyx montezumae mearnsi Nelson. M earns Partridge. 



This species seems to be scattered irregularly over the entire range, 

 though much more abundant on the western than on the eastern slope ; 

 and apparently varies greatly in numbers in different years. In the 

 summer of 1896, with four of us scouring the mountains daily, but two 

 pairs of birds were seen, though two years later, in 1898, Mr. O. W. 

 Howard found them to be most abundant in the same region. In 1902. 

 in spite of all our efforts, Mr. Howard and I were unable to find a single 

 bird, and in the following year, 1903, though informed of their occurrence 

 in various places by inhabitants of the mountains, I saw just three my- 

 self. Owing to the peculiar habits and secretiveness of the species, 

 together with the rough, broken nature of the ground in which 

 it is found, it is quite possible for it to be fairly abvmdant, and still be 

 entirely overlooked. ' If there are any of the quail around, indications of 

 their presence can usually be found, in the shape of small, shallow de- 

 pressions in the grass or dead leaves, where they have been scratching 

 or dusting, of which they seem to do a great deal. As far as I could 

 make out they seemed to occur indiscriminately from the base of the 

 mountains to the top of the highest peaks. 



Meleagris gallopavo merriami Nelson. Merriam Turkey. 



I was told that the wild turkeys were formerly qviite abundant in 

 the Huachucas, but at present they are rare, though apparently distri- 

 buted throughout the range. Mr. O. W. Howard has given an account 

 of the capture of a set of eggs of this species in this region (Condor II, 

 1900, page 55) and besides the bird he mentions, I have heard of possibly 

 half a dozen more, seen in the last three or four years, but never met 

 with any myself. 



Columba fasciata Say. Band-tailed Pigeon. 



As soon as the acorns begin to ripen the Band-tailed Pigeons put 

 in their appearance in numbers corresponding with the size of the crop ; 

 and throughout the summer they are abundant in all parts of the moun- 

 tains. The earliest date of arrival noted was March 31, 1902, when three 

 birds were seen, but this is exceptionally early, and they do not arrive 

 in any numbers before May i, as a rule. They breed rather late and I 



