THE PARTRIBCxES. 



11 



OPtTYX VIEGINIANUS, var. texaiius.— Lawrence. 



8p. Char.— General appearance that of 0. Virrjinianus. 

 Chin, throat, forehead, and stripe over the eye, white, 

 Stripe behind the eye continuous with a collar across the 

 lower part of the throat, black. Under parts white, with 

 zii^^zao- transverse bars of black. Above pale brownish-red 

 8trono-ly tino;ed with ash, the feathers all faintly though 

 distinctly mottled with black ; the lower back, scapulars, 

 and tertials much bloched with black, the latter edged on 

 both sides, and, to some extent, transversely barred with 

 brownish-white. Secondaries with transverse bars of the 

 same on the outer web. Wing coverts coarsely and con- 

 spicuously barred with blackish. Lower part of neck, 

 except before, streaked with black and white. 



Female with the white of the head changed to brownish- 

 yellow; the black of the head wanting. Length, 9.00; 

 wing, 4.35; tail, 2.85. 



Hab. Southern Texas and Valley of the Eio Grande ; 



Republican River, Kansas ; Washita River, Indian Terri- 

 tory. 



Habits.— This form, which appears to be confined to the 

 southern portion of Texas and to the Valley of the Rio 

 Grande River, was first described by Mr. Lawrence in 1853. 

 It) has been taken in the neighborhood of San Antonio and 

 on the Nueces River, by Captain Pope ; on Devil's River 

 by Major William H. Emory; at Fort Clark, on the Pecos 

 River, near Laredo, Texas, at Matamoras, and near New 

 Leon, Mexico, and in other localities, by Lieutenant Couch. 

 According to Mr. Clark, they were voty abundant in the 

 Valley of the Pecos, as well as in all Southwestern Texas. 

 They were much like the common Virginia Quail in habits 

 as well as in appearance, and to his ear the note of this 

 bird was absolutely identical with that of the common 

 Quail. He has often been a spectator of fights among the 

 males of this variety. To this account Dr. Kennerly adds 

 that he observed them everywhere in considerable num- 



