BIRDS — PERDICIDAE — LOPHORTYX. 



643 



The concealed feathers of the flanks have an oblique bar of white on the outer edges, the 

 chestnut suffused with black towards the abrupt white edge. The feathers on the sides of the body- 

 are banded very regularly and transversely with white and black, or white and chestnut, the 

 colors becoming more or less suffused. The region around the anus is fulvous white without 

 any markings. 



A specimen, collected at Fort Tejon by Mr. Vesey, differs in lacking the olive wash on the 

 fore part of back and the'neck which are pure plumbeous ; there is also much more of the dark 

 chestnut on the belly. The crest is much longer, measuring 3| inches. This is probably a 

 male. The female appears to exhibit very little difference, except in the rather shorter crest. 



Inst of specimens. 



LOPHORTYX, Bonaparte. 



Lophortyx, Bonap. Geog. & Comp. List, 1838. Type Tetrao californicus, Shaw. 



Ch . — Head with a, crest of lengthened feathers springing from the vertex, the shafls in the same vertical plane, and the 

 webs roof-shaped, and overlapping each other ; the number varies from two to six or more ; they widen to the tip, where they 

 are slightly recurved . Tail lengthed and graduated ; nearly as long as the wing, composed of twelve stiff feathers . Wings 

 with the tertials not as long as the primaries ; the coverts without any unusual development ; claws rather short ; the lateral 

 reaching to, but scarcely beyond the base of the middle ; the outstretched toe not reaching the tip of the tail. 



The two North American species of the genus have the anterior half of the body, and the 

 upper parts generally, plumbeous ; the feathers of neck above, and on the sides, pointed and 

 margined with black. There is a white bar across the head above, between the eyes, which, 

 passing backwards, is bordered behind and internally by black ; a second commences at :jhe pos- 

 terior border of the eye and then borders the black of the chin and throat laterally and behind, 

 the black reaching up to the eye and bordered anteriorly by a white line from eye to bill ; belly 

 pale buff, with a large spot in the centre ; the flanks streaked with white. The diagnoses of 

 the species are as follows : 



Vertex and occiput light smoky olive brown ; forehead whitish ; spot in the middle of the 

 belly orange chestnut ; feathers of breast with narrow black edges ; sides of body olivaceous 

 plumbeous L, californicus. 



Vertex and occiput clear chestnut brown ; forehead blackish ; spot in middle of belly black ; 

 none of the belly feathers with black edges ; sides of body orange chestnut L. gamhelii. 



