No. 42.] BIRD NAMES. 1^9 



Quail, No. 41 is Pheasant, and, whether for better or for worse, 

 the name Quail is growing more and more widely into fashion 

 and favor. Southern pot-hunters, as well as sportsmen, in- 

 stantly recognize No. 42 as the " quail " in numerous localities 

 where, in former years, the name would as soon have been as- 

 sociated with a buzzard as a bob -white. In a communication 

 from Memphis to Forest and Stream, October 1, 1885, concern- 

 ing this bird's nomenclature, the writer, " Coahoma," says : " I 

 never heard the term * quail ' applied to it until after the war, 

 when a large influx of Northern sportsmen brought the name 

 with them. Some Southern sportsmen, rather of the 'dude' 

 order, have come to affect that name, but it is generally re- 

 garded as an innovation." 



Captain John Smith certainly thought this bird looked more 

 like a partridge than a quail, for he says, in his description of 

 Virginia, 1612, "Patrridges there are little bigger than our 

 Quailes" (the "quailes" to which he referred being European, 

 of course). 



A variety found in Florida is now distinguished in the 

 books as " Florida Bob- white" (Colinus virginianus floridanus). 

 It is a little smaller than No. 42, with general plumage some- 

 what darker, and black markings of under parts broader. It 

 is unnecessary to mention in this work the other representa- 

 tives of the genus, such as the " Cuban Bob-white," " Texan 

 Bob-white," etc. 

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