THE PARTRIDGES. 17 



CALIFORNIA PARTRIDGE ; VALLEY QUAIL. 



Lophortyx Califoniicus. — Bonap. 



Sp. Char. — Crest black. Anterior half of body and upper 

 parts plumbeous ; the wings and back glossed with olive- 

 brown. Anterior half of head above brownish yellow, the 

 shafts of the stiff feathers black ; behind this a white trans- 

 verse band which jiasses back along the side of the crown ; 

 within this white, anteriorly and laterally, is a black suffu- 

 sion. The vertex and occiput are light brown. Chin and 

 throat black, margined laterally and behind by a white 

 band, beginning behind the eye. Belly pale buff anteriorly 

 (an orange-brown rounded patch in the middle) and white 

 laterally, the feathers all margined abruptly with black. 

 The feathers on the sides of body like the back, streaked 

 centrally with white. Feathers of top and sides of neck 

 with the margins and shafts black. Under tail-coverts 

 buff, broadly streaked centrally with brown. 



Female similar, without the white and black of the head; 

 the feathers of the throat brownish-yellow, streaked with 

 brown. The buff and orange-brown of the belly wanting. 

 The crest short. Length, 9.50; wing, 4.32; tail, 4.12. 



Young. — Head as in the adult female. Upper parts pale 

 brown, finely mottled transversely with black; scapulars 

 and feathers of the back with yellowish-white shaft streaks, 

 widening at the end of the feather, and with a large black 

 spot on each web. 



Chick. — Cxround-color dingy white, tinged on the head, 

 wings, and upper parts with pale rusty. A broad stripe 

 on occiput and nape umber-brown; upper parts with rather 

 confused and rather elongated mottlings ; an indistinct au- 

 ricular spot. Beneath plain dull white. 



Hab. — Valley portions and foot-hills of the Pacific Prov- 

 ince of the United States, south to Cape St. Lucas. 



Habits. — This beautiful species, according to Dr. New- 

 berry, is called the Valley Quail in California, to distinguish 

 it from the Plumed Quail, which inhabits the hills and the 



