The Partridges toi 



those who judge a bird by its sporting quahties, 

 is no great loss. 



gambel's partridge 



(Z. gambeli) 



Adult male — Top of head and nape, bright chestnut; forehead, 

 black, grayish above the bill, and crossed by a narrow white 

 line between the eyes ; a white stripe from behind eye to back 

 of ear-coverts, bordered with black ; chin, throat, and side of 

 face, black, bordered all around with white ; back and sides of 

 neck, lead color, each feather narrowly bordered with brownish 

 black ; entire upper parts, grayish blue, darkest on upper tail- 

 coverts, where the feathers are faintly margined with white ; 

 tail, pale blue ; wings, like the back, but with a brownish tinge ; 

 the inner webs of the tertials broadly margined with white, and 

 the outer webs of those nearest the primaries narrowly mar- 

 gined with yellowish white, forming a horizontal bar when the 

 wing is closed ; primaries, brown, grayish on the outer webs ; 

 upper part of breast, pale blue ; lower part to abdomen, bright 

 buff; flanks, dark chestnut, with a conspicuous white stripe 

 along the shaft ; abdomen, black, flanked by bright buff" feathers, 

 with a white stripe in the centre, bordered with chestnut ; vent 

 and under tail-coverts, pale buff with grayish brown central 

 stripe tinged with chestnut ; an upright plume composed of five 

 or six black feathers, curving forward, and the webs turned 

 backward, each overlapping the one behind, rises from the fore- 

 head, sometimes bending over the bill ; bill, black ; feet and 

 legs, horn color. Total length, lo inches ; wing, 4f ; tail, 4^ ; 

 bill, \\ legs, ii. 



Adtilt female — Upper parts, olive-green; top of head, olive-brown; 

 throat, dark buff, streaked with bluish gray ; upper part of 

 breast, grayish blue ; rest of under parts pale buff, the feathers 

 narrowly margined with blackish chestnut ; flanks, chestnut, 

 with central white stripe ; under tail-coverts, bronzy brown, 

 margined with pale buff; wings as in the male, the tertials less 

 conspicuously margined with white; tail, purplish blue (Elliot). 

 The crest is short, straight, and brownish black. Range, 



