238 PERDICINJE. ORTYX. 





blunt ; lower mandible with its dorsal outline convex. A 

 bare space behind the eye. Tarsi short, strong, anteriorly 

 covered with two series of scutella, posteriorly with two se- 

 ries of scales, but without spur or tubercle. Toes rather 

 long, stout, compressed, arcuato-declinate. Wings short, 

 much rounded, the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth quills long- 

 est ; tail of moderate length, much rounded. 



The Colins, which are peculiar to America, are interme- 

 diate between the Partridges and Quails, from which they 

 are readily distinguished by the form of their bill. One 

 species has been partially naturalized in England. 



155. ORTYX VIRGINIANA. VIRGINIAN COLIN. 



Male with the upper parts brownish-red, variegated with 

 black ; throat and a broad band over the eye white, loral space 

 and a broad band passing down the neck and crossing it in 

 front, black ; lower parts greyish-white, undulated with black. 

 Female with lighter tints, the throat and a band over the eye, 

 light yellowish-red. Young with the feathers of the upper 

 parts having a central yellowish line, the lower parts dull 

 yellowish-brown, without black bands. 



Male, 10, 15, 4 T ^, T V, 1 T ^, 1^, T V Female, 9, 14. 



Abundant in North America, from Mexico to Massachu- 

 setts. Has been introduced into England, and naturalized in 

 some of the southern counties. 



Virginian Partridge. Northern Colin. 



Tetrao Virginianus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 277. Perdix bore- 

 alis, Temm. Man. d'Omith. iv. 335. Ortyx virginiana, Vir- 

 ginian Colin, MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, i. 228. 



FAMILY XXXI. TETRAONIN.E. TETBAO- 

 NINE BIRDS, OR GROUSE. 



The birds of which this family is composed, differ as 

 little from the Perdicinse, as the latter from the Phasia- 

 ninse. Some of them are of large size, others very small. 

 They are generally bulky, with the body very full, the 

 neck of moderate length, the head oblong and small. Bill 

 short, stout, with the upper mandible convex, thin-edged, 

 destitute of notches, its tip obtuse ; lower mandible with 



