MOUNTAIN QUAIL. 



Oreortyx pictus. 



Oreortyx pictus plumiferus. 



Oreortyx pictus confinis. 



This is one of the largest of our quails. Its upper 

 parts are brown or olive, or sometimes even bluish, the 

 inner webs of the tertiary feathers being buff, so that 

 when the wings are closed a distinct stripe is seen on 

 each side of the rump. The breast and head are in part 

 lead color ; the long, backward directed crest of narrow 

 feathers growing from the top of the head is black; the 

 throat is chestnut, and from this a black stripe runs up 

 to the eye. The chin, front of cheeks, lower portion of 

 the lores, a line bordering the throat patch from the 

 posterior angle of the eye and forehead, are whitish. 

 The effect of this is to surround the bill with a border 

 of whitish. The flanks are deep chestnut barred with 

 black and white. The thighs are reddish and the under 

 tail coverts black. In color, the female is very similar 

 to the male, but usually has the crest plumes smaller. 

 The length is from n to 12 inches, and the wing from 

 5^4 to 5>4 inches. 



This is the typical mountain quail, ranging in the 

 California mountains from Santa Barbara, Cal., north 

 to Washington. In Oregon its range seems to extend 



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