THE AX(JLKK AND HTXTSMAX 165 



southern New England to Florida and Texas; but owing to 

 climatic influences the birds of Florida and Texas differ 

 enough to be distinguished as geographic races. However, 

 the Bob White, wherever it occurs has the same call and va- 

 ries but little as to habits. A closely related bird, the mask- 

 ed Bob White, inhabited southern Arizona until a few years 

 ago. Owing to dry seasons and the overstocking of -its home 

 with cattle, this bird is now supposed to be extinct within 

 our confines; but some probably exist in parts of Sonora, 

 Mexico. 



The Bob White, although a very handsome bird indeed, 

 is the plainest looker of the quail family, excepting the 

 "cotton top" or scaled quail of the deserts of southern Tex- 

 as and Arizona, the latter being a slaty bluish color on its 

 upper parts, which are ornamented with large scale-like 

 markings and has a whitish crest. 



The most bizarre and curious of all is the Meams quail 

 of the high broken plains and mountain slopes of southwes- 

 tern Texas, southern New Mexico and Arizona. It has a 

 short, round body, like a little guinea hen, and this superfi- 

 cial likeness is heightened by brilliant round white spots or- 

 namenting the dark sides. This bird is the gentlest of all 

 the quails and is said to be so unsuspicious that when it en- 

 counters one it often walks unconcernedly about or stands 

 looking curiously at the newcomer, at which times it is not 

 infrequently killed with a stick or stone, a characteristic 

 which, among the people where it is found, has earned for 

 it the name of "Fool Quail." 



Out in the southwestern desert is also found the Gambel 

 Quail, ranging throughout the brushy foothills and the val- 

 leys along watercourses. This is a beautiful member of the 

 quail family, its head being handsomely marked and adorn- 

 ed with a jet black recurving crest, the flanks being bright 

 chestnut in color, brilliantly streaked with white. This 

 quail forms one of the most pleasant and conspicuous varie- 

 ties of desert life and is numerous wherever it can find suffi- 



