80 FRANK forester's FIELD SPORTS. 



AMERICAN QUAIL. 



Ortyx Tirginiana — Stephens. La Perdrix d''Amerique — Brissot. 

 The Quail, — " The Partridije'''' in Fennsylvama and Soiith- 

 'ward, improperhj. 



" Male 10.15. Female 9^14. 



" Breeds abundantly from Texas to Massachusetts ; in the 

 interior, high on the Missouri, and in all intermediate districts. 



" Adult male. 



"Bill short, robust, rather obtuse, the base covered ^vith 

 feathers ; upper mandible* with the dorsal outline curved, the 

 sides convex, the edges overlapping, the tip declinate ; under 

 mandible nearly straight in its dorsal outline, arched on the 

 edges, the sides convex, nostrils concealed among the feathers. 

 Head and neck of ordinary size ; body short and bulky. Feet 

 of ordinary length ; tarsus anteriorly scutellate,t a little com- 

 pressed, spurless. Toes scutellate above, pectinatej on the 

 sides ; claws arched, obtuse. 



" Plumage compact, glossy. Feathers of the upper part of 

 the head erectile into a tuft. Wings short, broad, much 

 curved, and rounded ; the fourth quill the longest. Tail short, 

 rounded, of twelve rounded feathers. 



" Bill dark brown. Iris hazel. Feet grayish blue. The 

 forehead, a broad line over each eye, and the throat and fore- 

 neck white. Lore, auricular§ coverts, and a broad semilunar 

 band on the foreneck, more or less black. Upper part of the 

 head, hind and lower part of the neck, all round, reddish brown. 

 Upper back and wing coverts, bright brownish red ; the lower 

 part of the back, light red, tinged with yellow. Primaries 

 dusky, externally margined with blue ; secondaries irregularly 

 barred with light red. Tail grayish blue, excepting the middle 



* Mandible — division of bill corresponding to the jaws. 



t Scutellate — covered with scales overlapping each other like tiles. i 



t Pectinate — toothed like a comb. 



^Auricular — belonging to the ear. 



