36 FRANK SCHLEY's PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING. 



the countiy 13'ing between the Eio Grande and the San 

 Pedro Elvers. He also stated that he had never met with 

 any near the settlements, but always among the wild, rocky, 

 and almost barren hills of that country. They are more 

 sociable and not so shy as the other species of this family. 

 Their food appears to be principally insects. 



Mr. Dresser states that this bird is locally known as the 

 Black Partridge. For some time he sought for it near San 

 Antonio without success, but ultimately found it, in 'No- 

 vember, among the Bandera Hills. In its habits he states 

 it is more like the Texan Quail than any other ; but on the 

 wing it is easily distinguished, it flies so heavily, though 

 very swiftly. When disturbed, they squat very close, and 

 will not move until approached very closely, when they 

 generally rise up from under one's feet. He did not meet 

 with this Quail in any other part of Texas than Bandera 

 country, but was told that it is abundant in the hilly coun- 

 tr}' at the head of the Leona, and that it is also found near 

 Laredo. 



In some remarks on the birds of "Western Texas, pub- 

 lished in the Proceedings of the PhiladeliDhia Academy in 

 1851, Colonel McCall gives the first information to the pub- 

 lic touching the habits of this interesting species. We 

 learn from- his narrative that it was not met with by him 

 before crossing the San Pedro Eiver, but that it was soon 

 after seen in the rocky regions into which he then entered ; 

 and thence as far as the Eio Pecos, a distance of one hun- 

 dred and forty miles westwardly, it was frequently seen, 

 thouo-h it was not anywhere very common. This entire re- 

 gion is a desert of great extent, north and south; the gen- 

 eral face of the country is level, and produces nothing but 

 a sparse growth of sand plants. Water was found onlj- at 

 long intervals, and except at such points there was appar- 

 ently neither food nor cover. There, among projecting 

 rocks on the borders of dry gullies, or in loose scrub, this 

 bird was met with by Colonel McCall. 



The habits of this species appeared to him to be different 

 from those of any other kind of Partridge he had ever met 



