262 Grinnell, Catalina Island Quail. [juiy 



an ordinary scatter-gun. On the broken winding shores, however, 

 which are characteristic of Montana rivers, often clothed with 

 wood, or buttressed with badland rocks, there is little difficulty in 

 approaching this solitary, meditative bird, who has no friend to 

 warn him, and whose self-absorption at his lonely meal is so com- 

 plete. He can be descried half-a-mile away and stalked warily 

 from the rear, what time his eager gaze betokens the immediate 

 proximity of some precious stream-borne prey. 



It is from this cause, too, that private property is so great a pro- 

 tection to the herons on West Highland sea-lochs. The tourist 

 collector can mark his quarry from the deck of his yacht, but he 

 hesitates to land to achieve its destruction, and herons can rarely 

 be shot from a boat. 



THE CATALINA ISLAND QUAIL. 



BY JOSEPH GRINNELL. 



Six specimens of quail from Santa Catalina Island, California, 

 present characters constantly different from those of the series of 

 mainland quail examined. While the degree of difference is not 

 great, it requires no straining of the eyes to distinguish them. The 

 differences seem to be significant of insular isolation under the 

 peculiar set of factors which have resulted in differentiating many 

 other species of animals and plants on the same island. It is con- 

 venient that the quail also be provided with a name, and I propose 

 the following: 



Lophortyx catalinensis new species. 



Specific Characters. — Similar to Lophortyx calif ornicus vallicola, but 

 about 9 % larger throughout, and coloration somewhat darker; similar 

 to L. c. californicus, but larger and much less deeply brownish dorsally. 



Type. — c? adult; No. 6134 Coll. J. G.; Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, 

 California; November 25, 1904; collected by J. Grinnell. 



