16 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. 



Ortyx virginianus Jabd— AuD. Synop. 1839, 199; B. Am. v. 1842, .59, pi. ai9.— Baibd. B. N . 

 Am. 1858,6)0: Cat, N. Am. B. 1859, No. 471.— CouES, Key. 1872. 236; Check List. 1874, 

 No. 389; 2d ed. 1882, No. .Wl ; B. N. W. 1874. 431.-B. B. & R. Hist. N. Am. B. iii, 1874. 468. 

 pi. 63, flgs. 1, 2.— RIDGW. Norn. N. Am. B. 1881. No. 480. 



Colinus virginianus Ste.tn. Auk, Jan. 1885, 45.— A. 0. U, Obeok List, 1886, No. 289,— Bidgw. 

 Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 188. 



Hab. Eastern United States, north to Massachusetts and Ontario, south to Georgia. Ala- 

 bama, Louisiana, and eastern Texas (?), west to the edge of the Great Plains. Replaced in 

 Florida by the smaller and much darker C. virginianus jioridanus Coues. and in central 

 Texas, north to western Indian Territory by the much Ughter colored C. virginianus lex- 

 anus (Lawr.). 



Sp. Chab. Adult male: Pileum and stripe on side of head mixed black and rusty, the 

 former prevailing; broad and distinct superciliary stripe, chin and throat white. Upper 

 parts mottled rusty and grayish, the scapulars and tertials spotted with black, the latter 

 with inner webs brcidly edged with ochraceous. Jugulum mixed rusty, black, and white; 

 abdomen white, with irregular T-shapod bars of black; sides rusty, streaked with black 

 and white. Adult female: Similar to the male, but superciliary stripe and throat ochraceous 

 and pileum. together with stripe on side of head. mostly rusty. Young: Pileum and auricu- 

 lars dull dark grayish; superciliary stripe and thi-oat dull dirty whitish; jueulum and 

 breast dull grayishbrown.with whitish shaft-streaks, abdomen plain dull white. Back rusty 

 brownish, with whitish shaft-streaks and black spots. Downy young: Head dingy buff, 

 with an elongated dusky auricular spot; and on the crowB an oblong patch of chestnut- 

 rufous. 



Total length (fresh specimon.s) 9.50-10.50; extent, 14.00-15.50. 



The common (iuail or Partridge, as this fine bird is variously 

 knowji in our State, is a bird of very general distribution, and its 

 habits are i?o familiar that any detailed description is here 

 unnecessary. The farmer has no better friend than this species, 

 which devours "bugs" of all sorts in large quantities, and is par- 

 ticularly fond of the Colorado potato beetle. During severe win- 

 ters farmers would do well, only their own interests being .consid- 

 ered, to feed the quail on their farms to prevent their dying of 

 starvation. 



This species can be easily tamed, and breeds very readily in 

 confinement. (See Foi'i'xt and Strcdtn, Vol. XIX., Nos. 9 and 10, 

 September 28 and October 5, 1882, pp. 1()4, 105, 185, and 180.) 



In former publications we have given C. I'hriinianu.-^ ^llnriihinKa 

 as an inhabitiint of southern Illinois, and Mr. Nelson, coincided 

 in this opinion. Under this name, Mr, Nelson (in B>iU. K^xcv 

 Lid. IX., 1877, p. 43), says:) 



"The prevailing form in the bottoms, whore the typical rir- 

 (jiiiiiuiiix is comi)aratively rare. The specimens obtained are 

 typical of the variety, some having even larger bills than any 

 Florida examples seen, while the other proportions are equally 

 small, anil the colors fully as dark. A remarkable characteristic 



