262 BULLETIN 50, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Oreortyx picta confinis Anthony, Proc. California Acad. Sci., ser. 2, ii, 1889, 74 

 (San Pedro Martir Mountains, at 8,500 feet, n. Baja California; coll. A. W. 

 Anthony). — American Ornithologists' Union, Check List, ed. 3, 1910, 135, 

 part; ed. 4, 1931, 91 (distr.).— Oberholser, Auk, xi, 1923, 84, part (San Ber- 

 nardino and San Gabriel Mountains, Calif.). — Dawson, Birds California (stud, 

 ed.), iii, 1923, 1571 (genl. ; California; part). — Todd, Ann. Carnegie Mus., xviii, 

 1928, 336 (type spec, in Carnegie Museum). — Grinnell, Univ. California Publ. 

 Zool,, xxxii, 1928, 100 (distr.; Baja Calif ornia) .—Bent, U. S. Nat. Mus., Bull. 

 162, 1932, 51 (habits; distr.).— Peters, Check-list Birds of World, ii, 1934, 43.— 

 Rowley, Condor, xxxvii, 1935, 163 (nest and eggs; near La Paz, Lower Cali- 

 fornia). — VAN RossEM, Condor, xxxix, 1937, 22 (crit. ; distr.; chars.). — Hell- 

 MAYR and CoNOVER, Cat. Birds Amer., i. No. 1, 1942, 230 (syn. ; distr.). 



0[reortyx] p[icta] confinis Willett, Pacific Coast Avif., No. 7, 1912, 43, in text 

 (does not occur in California). 



Oreortyx picttis confinis Bryant, Proc. California Acad. Sci., ser. 2, ii, 1889, 276 

 (San Pedro Martir Mountains; nesting at from 2,500 to 9,000 feet, in winter 

 down to lyOOO feet). — Anthony, Zoe, i, 1890, 5 (descr. nest and eggs; etc.); 

 iv, 1893, 232 (San Pedro Martir Mountains, crit.).— American Ornithologists' 

 Union, Auk, vii, 1890, 61 (Check-list No. 292b, part) ; ed. 2, 1895, 108; ed. 3, 

 1910, 135, part.— Bendire, Life Hist. North Amer. Birds, i, 1892, 17, part.— 

 Ridgway, Man. North Amer. Birds, ed. 2, 1896, 588, part. 



[Oreortyx] confinis Sharpe, Hand-list, i, 1899, 44. 



OREORTYX PICTA EREMOPHILA van Rossem 



Desert Mountain Quail 



Adult. — Similar to that of the corresponding sex of 0. picta picta but 

 averaging slightly paler on the upperparts and breast and darker brown 

 — claret brovi^n — on the posterior underparts. This race, which is only 

 doubtfully valid, combines characters of 0. picta picta and 0. picta con- 

 finis, and numerous individuals occur that cannot be told from one or the 

 other of these tw^o ; only in a series can the average characters of eremo- 

 phila be appreciated. 



Juvenal. — Similar to that of O. picta picta. 



Natal down. — Not distinguishable from that of 0. picta picta or 0. picta 

 palmer i. 



Adult male.— Wing 127-140 (134.9) ; tail 74-89 (82.2) ; culmen from 

 base 15.7-17.9 (16.7) ; tarsus 35.5-37.7 (36.4) ; middle toe without claw 

 28.4-33.6 (30.3 mm.). 58 



Adult female.— Wing 128-138 (131.6) ; tail 72-86 (79.4) ; culmen from 

 base 15.4-17.2 (16.1) ; tarsus 34.9-36.3 (35.5) ; middle toe without claw 

 28.4-29.9 (29.3 mm.).^^ 



Range. — Resident in the mountains of southern and west-central Cali- 

 fornia from about latitude 37°30'N. in the Sierra Nevada south to the 

 Baja California boundary; also in extreme southwestern Nevada. 



' Sixteen specimens. 

 'Eight specimens. 



