NO. 1106. FKATHER-TUAVTS OF ailOVlSK A^D QUAIL— VLAUK. 



G45 



LOPHORTYX. 



Material oxiiininod: I'ivo Hpcciinciis of [,. ritlifoniira iiiid tlirwt^ of L. (/amboli, 

 kiiitlly Airuislicd inr by Mr. l"ni(l«Mi(! Hall Fowl«>r, tlitiud'Forl, Howie, Arizoiiu, 

 Mr. F. KtfphcnH, W'itiOi (Jrnok, ('aliCornia, and Mr. F. A. Ward of IvocihoKtor, 

 Now Vorlc. 'I'lie larti;o HoricH of skims in llio II. S. Niilional Miihoiimi, con- 

 Histin;!; of fiftomi Hkiiin of /.. (/(ihiIicH, twoiity-livo of /,. cali/oriiicK, and L, o. 

 rallitolii, and dij^lil. of /,. clfii<tHH lnumiiii, wttro oxaininod in n>H])<'cfc to 1 iie niini- 

 b«r of rcHitrJi'OH and tli<> claw «»n tlio tliiinili and Hie nninlit r of leatliiMH in 

 tlio crost. 



Tlio ptcrylosis of tliis ft('iiii.s is in ^eiicMal likt^ tlmt of ('olhiiis, hut in 

 some Hpciciinens tlicro is ;i, tiiicc of si small doi'Hal {iptoriuni, iiiid tlio 

 vciiliiil tract, is soiiiowliat widor boloro it forlvH. Tlioro 

 is, rmtlioniioio, a (listiiict tract on tiu' crown niado by 

 the lai}jfO leathers ol" 1-Im^ crest, as shown in lig. 2. 

 This tract consists ol" six or seven teatiicrs and is 

 somewhat trianj^nlar in outline. The ninnber of 

 feathers seems to be very constant, without regard to 

 age or sex; L. (/(imhcli and L. ealifornU-a always have 

 six, and L. rlet/ans s(^ven. Tluirc are 15 (sonictinies 1(1) 

 se(M)ndarics, The claw on the tlinnib is w«'ll devel 

 oped. The number of rectric(!S is constantly 12, but i''"'- 2. - I'TKitvLoma 

 in two skins at Ij. cdlijormca (both females) there i.oi-noinvx 

 were only 10, and in two other females of I he same 

 species there were 11. It would l)e interesting to have a series of sev- 

 eral hundred birds examined, and llud out how rare these exceptions 

 are. 



CALLIPEPLA. 



Matorial examined : 'rwoHi>eeiin«nH of <', >«iiia>uata, sonf ine liy Mr. F. II. Fowler, 

 Fort Howie, Ari/.oini. Twtdve Hkiim of ('. miuuuuita and movch of ('. «. canla- 

 neitiiimlviH, in tlio II. H. National MiiHenin, were oxaiiiiiiod in reapoct to crent, 

 rectricuH and claw on tluinib. 



(Jeneral i)torylo8is similar to Colinus, but the feather])its between the 

 eyes are somewhat larger and more? numerous llian (Usewiien^ on the 

 <u-own. Tlieie is, however, no sj)ecial tract made by the feathers of 

 tln^ vvo.si, whicth ar(^ always mor(^ numerous and softer than in the 

 crest (tf Ijophortyx. There are oidy 11 seeoiidari<;s. The claw on the 

 thuml) is present. There are always 14 rectricos. 



OREORTYX. 



Matorial examined ; Two HpocinioiiH of O. pictiiH, for which T am indobti^l to Mr. 

 (J. W. Swallow, Willsburff, Orefron. 'I'ho HorioHof HkinH in the I'. S. National 

 MiiHenm wcro examined in rcHpifct to tho feathers in the crest, the rectrices, 

 and the claw on thnmb. 



(Jeneral ptorylosis similar to (JolinuN, but sliowing a little tendency 

 tctward that of the grouse. The feathers of the posterior part of the 

 ii|)pcr c(Mvical tra,ct are large ami few, so that the continuity between 

 t!ie dorsal and cervical tracts is soinewhal interrupted. On the crown 



