360 



The Outer's Book 



state, and thereby supply another additional 

 subject for the amusement of the sportsman, 

 will scarcely admit of a doubt." 



This is somewhat of a hard story for me 

 to believe, and I am rather inclined to think 

 that Wilson's "friend" was putting one up 

 on him. 



Neither Audubon nor Wilson knew of the 

 Quail next to be noticed, which is the remain- 

 ing species to be described in our list of 

 United States Bob-whites. This is the beauti- 

 ful masked Bob-white, named by Brewster 

 Colinus ridgwayi in honor of Professor Robert 

 Ridgway, our most distinguished living de- 

 scriber of the birds of this country. There is 

 a good account of this bird in Allen's paper 

 on the species (Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 

 July, 1886, pi. 23 ); it was the colored Plate 

 in this paper which I selected to copy to 

 obtain my illustration for the present Part 

 (see Fig. 6). 



This elegant quail formerly ranged from 

 the middle part of the southern border of 

 Arizona, southward to the central region of 

 southern Sonora. From all accounts, how- 

 ever, I fear that it has been entirely exter- 

 minated within the boundaries of the 'United 

 States, which is a great pity, for it is even 

 a handsomer bird than our famous Bob-white 

 of the middle and eastern sections of the 

 country. This masked Bob-white is closely 

 related to Grayson's Quail (C. graysoni) of 

 Mexico, and when first introduced into our 

 Check Lists, was mistaken for it, a mistake 

 which has since been corrected. 



In addition to the name I have given for it, 

 it is likewise known as Ridgway's Colin, Ari- 

 zona Bob-white, and the Hooded Quail. Coues 



says that the female of this species so closely 

 resembles that sex of C. v. texanus "as not to 

 be readily distinguished." In it the irides 

 are brown, the bill black, and the feet horn- 

 color. Further, it is easily distinguished from 

 all others of our Bob-whites by the black of 

 the front and sides of the head and neck, 

 and, in some individuals, by the narrow white 

 line over the eye (Fig. 6). Beneath, the parts 

 are of a chestnut or cinnamon color, which 

 is unspotted and varies in shade, reminding 

 one of the breast of our common eastern 

 Robin. White spots, however, occur on the 

 flanks, these spots generally being on the tips 

 of the feathers, and each bordered anteriorly 

 by a bar of black. The top and back of the 

 head, to include the nape, is light brown 

 mixed with black and white, the last being 

 tinged with yellow. The back of the neck 

 and between the shoulders, reddish-brown 

 shaded with gray; upper parts principally 

 black, variegated with light brown and soiled 

 white. The tail is slate gray on its upper side, 

 where it is dotted with whitish and wavy lines 

 of the same shade; beneath, the markings are 

 somewhat the same but fainter. Wing-coverts, 

 reddish, the feathers being barred with black 

 and bordered with whitish. Primaries, dusky 

 and emarginated internally with whitish. 



This much of a description would indicate 

 a Bob-white, in so far as the male bird is con- 

 cerned, that could in no way be mistaken for 

 any other species than the Arizona Masked 

 one. Should any one hunting in the southern 

 part of Arizona meet with such a bird, it 

 should certainly be reported, and if shot, it 

 should, with still greater certainty, be pre- 

 served and scientifically labeled. 



What's The Use? 



By E. L. FARLEY 



I wish I were a boy again strolling down the pasture lane with Rover barkin' 

 at our cow, and wonderin' when and where and how I'd get a line to go a fishin'. 

 But what's the use of longin' wishin'? 



I wish I were a boy today so I could ride on loads of hay and with it stickin' 

 on my cheek slip off to the meadow creek and take a plunge and fishin'. 

 But what's the use of longin' wishin'? 



I wish I were a boy once more and dig around the old barn door while ducks 

 and geese a racket kept that had no equal except myself when startin' off a fishin'. 

 But what's the use of longin' wishin'? 



Commercial strife has made me weary and manhood's days seem long and 

 dreary compared with those when but a boy when every one was filled with joy with 

 naught but school and then a fishin'. 



But what's the use of longin' wishin'? 



