208 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING. 
running, rather than to those of flight. No difficulty 
is experienced in getting shots at it, the great trouble 
being to start it from the ground. The blue colin 
is the only species of the genus Callipepla, or the 
beautifully-robed, found in the United States. It has 
many of the characteristics of the Lophortyz, or valley 
quail, but the crest is different, being tufted, fuller, ‘and 
softer, and composed of short, broad, depressed feathers 
that spring from the crown. The wing coverts are nor- 
mal, the tail is stiffened, and averages about three and 
three-fourths inches in length, and the claws are small 
and acute. 
The colin is rather small, seldom exceeding nine and 
a half or ten inches in length, and weighing about ten 
ounces, so that it is nearer the Virginia quail in size 
than any other species. A writer whose name I do not 
know, but who seems to be acquainted with the general 
habits of this bird, says, that though it inhabits the 
same region as Gambel’s, or the helmeted colin, the two 
never mingle or even come close to each other. ‘It has 
been observed commingling with the south-western vari- 
ety of the Ortyx virginianus (Ortyx texana) in Texas, 
where it is said to resemble the latter bird somewhat in 
habits, and, further, to breed with it, though we have 
failed to obtain any description of the hybrids, or posi- 
tive information as to their existence. At all events, the 
manners of blue colins do not seem to differ very ma- 
terially from those of other American Perdicide, though 
their cunning and instinct seem vastly superior to some 
of the species. Among their enemies, besides the usual 
birds of prey, may be rated wolves, opossums, and rac- 
coons, which destroy their eggs; tarantulas, which kill 
and devour the chicks; ocelots, yaguarundi-cats, pumas, 
jaguars, peccaries, foxes and snakes. The so-called ‘‘cot- 
ton-mouth” snake, the rattlesnake, and the burrowing owl 
also destroy and devour the cheepers and eggs when they 
