AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



In the course of my experiences in the photography of birds, the Am- 

 erican partridges have always been favorites of mine. A year or so 

 ago the opportunity was offered me to experiment in this way with a 

 number of our western species and subspecies of the Perdichice, no- 

 tably the Texan Bob-White [Colinns v. texaiuis) Figure 1, 5, the Plumed 

 paxtridige (Oreo?'tyx p. phiDiifefemsJ the Chestnut-bellied Scaled Part- 

 ridge ( Callipepla s. castanogastris) Figure 3, 6, and the California Part- 

 ridge ( Callipepla californica) Fig, 2, 5. I have also successfully photo- 

 graphed in life the common quail of Europe, both the male and the 

 female birds, — adult specimens. 



All of the live American partridges I photographed were kindly loaned 

 me by Mr. Edward S. Schmid, who keeps an Animal Emporium at No. 

 712 12th street, N. W., Washington, D. C, he having received them 

 from his collectors in the west. 



At that time I was living in Washington, and Mr. Schmid permitted 

 me to take his birds to my home, and keep them in large cages until 

 such times as I had been successful in securing negatives of them. As 

 a rule I selected only the best plumaged and the strongest male birds, 

 though in the case of the little common quail of Europe, I obtained fine 

 results, both of the male as well as the female. 



These last named have been published in a number of places, but be- 

 ing birds of another country they are not suitable subjects to reproduce 

 here, that is, in a journal so strictly devoted to the ornithology of the 

 United States. 



In the case of the Texan Bob-white, I secured my specimen in one 

 instance almost life-size when standing; I also obtained it when perched 

 up in the limbs of a tree. It was a fine male individual and after he had 

 been in my possession about a week, he became very docile, and gave 

 me but litte trouble in securing his photograph. 



