VIRGINIAN COLIN. 411 



are also particular favourites. The eggs are white; one 

 inch two lines and a half in length, by one inch in breadth, 

 at the larger end, from whence they taper rapidly to a 

 point. The nest in its form, and the habit of the covey of 

 clustering in a circle, in a wild state, are as already de- 

 scribed. Various devices are employed for taking them ; 

 and they are to be seen in the markets of the United 

 States in considerable quantities, both alive and dead. 

 Their flesh is white, tender, and delicate, and is accord- 

 ingly very much in request. 



The adult male has the beak almost black; the irides 

 hazel ; upper part of the head dark chestnut brown ; these 

 feathers occasionally elevated, forming a crest ; from the 

 forehead to the eye, and from thence over and behind the 

 ear-coverts, a band of pure white, below this a band of 

 dark chestnut brown and black, which reaches the sides of 

 the neck, where the brown feathers are white in the 

 middle ; the upper part of the back and the wing-coverts 

 reddish brown ; lower part of the back, rump, and upper 

 tail-coverts, a mottled greyish brown, with a few spots of 

 dark brown ; wing-primaries greyish brown ; the scapulars 

 and tertials very dark brown, with buff-coloured margins ; 

 tail-feathers bluish grey ; chin and throat white, with a 

 gorget of black below ; breast and belly buffy white, with 

 transverse bars of black; sides, flanks, and under tail- 

 coverts, varied with reddish brown and bufiy white ; legs 

 and claws reddish brown. 



The whole length is rather more than nine inches. From 

 the carpal joint to the end of the wing, four inches and a 

 half : the wing in form rounded ; the first and the eighth 

 feathers of the same length ; the second equal to the sixth ; 

 but not so long as the third, fourth, or fifth, which are 

 nearly equal in length to each other, but the fourth rather 

 the longest in the wing. 



