Todd: The Birds of the Isle of Pines. 199 



38. Colinus cubanensis (Gould). Cuban Bob-white. 



Colinus cubanensis Cory, Cat. W. Indian Birds, 1892, 96 (I. of Pines, in geog, 



distr.). — GuNDLACH, Orn. Cubana, 1895, 171 (I. of Pines). — Bangs & Zappey. 



Am. Nat., XXXIX, 1905, 192 (Santa Fe, Nueva Gerona, and Cayo Bonito). — 



Read, Oologist, XXVI, 1909, 102, and XXVIII, 1911, 13 (I. of Pines). — Read, 



Bird-Lore, XV, 1913, 45, and XVI, 1914, 50 (Santa Barbara). — Read, I. of Pines 



News, VI, Apr. 18, 1914 (I. of Pines; habits). 

 "Bob-white" Read, Oologist, XXVI, 1909, 57 (I. of Pines). 

 "Quail" Read, Oologist, XXVI, 1909, 58 (I. of Pines), 102 (crit.). 

 "Cuban Bob-white" Read, Forest and Stream, LXXIII, 1909, 452 (I. of Pines). 



— Read, Oologist, XXVIII, 1911, 13 (West McKinley). 

 "Cuban Quail" Read, Oologist, XXVIII, 1911, 3, 5 (McKinley; nesting), 10, and 



XXX, 1913, 123 (Nuevas River), 125, 127 (Santa Barbara), 130 (I. of Pines), 



164 (Santa Barbara to Nueva Gerona), 168 (Los Indios). 

 Twelve specimens: Bibijagua, Los Indios, and Nueva Gerona. 

 No two of the males in this series are exactly alike. Several have 

 the under surface from the breast down more or less spotted with buffy 

 white in irregular pattern: these are doubtless younger birds in first 

 winter or first nuptial dress, according to season. But even in the 

 case of individuals presumably adult there is much variation as regards 

 the character and extent of the black streaking on the lower breast. 



Although given by some authors as a subspecies of C. virginiamis, 

 this form is clearly entitled to rank as a full species, being indeed closer 

 to some of the Mexican forms than to that of peninsular Florida. The 

 latter, however, has been introduced into Cuba, where it has interbred 

 with the native species to such an extent that in many localities it 

 is now difficult, so Dr. Thomas Barbour tells me, to secure specimens 

 which do not show traces of such mixed ancestry. The Isle of Pines 

 birds, however, are presumably pure-bred. 



Except in the breeding season, which extends from May to July, 

 the Cuban Bob-white is generally found in coveys or family groups, 

 frequenting the dry pastures, especially where there are low palmettos 

 for shelter. In notes and habits it closely resembles C. virginianus. 

 A nest with ten eggs was found July 10, 1912, on the El Bobo planta- 

 tion northeast of McKinley, and Mr. Read mentions having found 

 young birds just able to fly on August i, near the same place. Indeed 

 he claims that this species breeds more than once in a season. The 

 eggs are pure white, unmarked, like those of C. virginianus. The 

 species is common and generally distributed throughout the dry in- 

 terior of the island, but is of course absent from the region south of 

 the Cienaga. Being one of the recognized game-birds, it is hunted 



