1920 Todd, The Genus Eupsychortyx. 199 



collectors failed to secure any specimens whatever, although they 

 saw a flock at Quetame probably belonging to this species, and 

 the two skins with a definite locality attached which he records 

 were secured through another party. More recently Mr. M. A. 

 Carriker, Jr., has sent in three fine specimens from Palmar, in 

 the State of Boyaca. Equipped with this material, I must con- 

 fess my inability to distinguish the Colombian bird from that of 

 Venezuela and Guiana, all the characters mentioned by Gould, 

 and relied on by Messrs. Ogilvie-Grant and Chapman to separate 

 it therefrom reappearing again and again in the latter series. 

 The comparative shortness and bluntness of the feathers of the 

 crest is a very elusive character indeed, depending as it does 

 considerably upon the state of wear, but I am able to match 

 the Colombian specimens very closely by certain individuals from 

 elsewhere, and under such circumstances cannot see my way 

 clear toward recognizing parvicristatus even as a subspecies, as 

 has been suggested by Messrs. von Berlepsch and Hartert. But 

 while geographic variation seems thus to be nil, the amount of 

 individual variation that obtains is astonishing, and makes it 

 difficult to frame a description which will fit all specimens in 

 every particular. The phase described above is what may from 

 its frequency be considered the normal one. The general tone 

 of the upper parts, however, varies greatly, perhaps to some 

 extent according to season, some specimens being deeply rufescent, 

 other more brownish by comparison, and others still paler, more 

 grayish. The forehead and crest also vary considerably in exact 

 shade of color, but it is in the color of the throat that the varia- 

 tion is greatest. Normally the throat is plain amber brown, but 

 in some specimens it is pure white, and in others white, shaded 

 with ochraceous laterally, and spotted with black medially. In 

 extreme cases it is amber brown, interrupted by a median band 

 of black-tipped white feathers. It was obviously a bird of this 

 sort which formed the basis of the description of Ortyx affinis 

 Vigors. What the significance of these variations may be I 

 cannot say; they occur in examples coming from the same locali- 

 ties as normal individuals, with which they are connected by 

 intermediates. In any case it is very doubtful if age has anything 

 to do with the matter. 



