certain Species of American Gallinse. 111 



Both Dr. Sharpe and I examined the typical specimen of 

 C. g. nigripectus sent to the British Museum for com- 

 parison, and Mere unable to distinguish it from the type of 

 ft pectoralis. Dr. Sharpe subsequently wrote to Mr. Nelson 

 to that effect. 



-L- Colinus minor Nelson. 



Iii the original description of this species (cf. Auk, xviii. 

 p. 47) we read : — 



" Rest of head and broad collar around lower border of 

 white throat-patch black.'" 



In l Auk/ xix.j in the description of plate xiv., we find 

 the type has a 



" Narrow, poorly-defined black collar below white throat- 

 patch, &c." 



How are we to reconcile these two statements ? Can the 

 Quail change its collar? 



f- CYRTONYX MONTEZUMA MEARNSI NelsOU. 



As regards C. m. mearnsi, I may remark that, while 

 admitting that the size of the white spots on the sides and 

 flanks varies in different individuals of C. montezumce I 

 Avould point out that this cannot be of any geographical 

 significance, since a large- spotted male spec'men from Puebla 

 is quite indistinguishable from those obtained in South- 

 western Texas and Arizona. Every intermediate sta«e 

 connecting the largest- and smallest-spotted specimens can 

 be found. 



-/-CVRTOXVX MERRIAMI NclsOll. 



On p. 391 of Mr. Nelson's paper, under the headin* 

 Cyrtonyx merriami, which, after leading his original de- 

 scription (cf. Auk, xv. p. 48), I placed as a synonym of 

 ft saltai {cf. Ibis, 19J2, p. 242), I find the following : — 



"The foregoing authoritative disposal of C. merriami 

 made me almost fear that Mr. Grant held the power to make 

 the ' tiger change his spots/ On examination oi the tvpe 

 of C. merriami, however, I find that the color-characters 

 between it, ('. montezumce, and C. sallaei arc such that a 

 photograph 1, rings out some of the most salient differences." 



