The Partridges 105 



webs ; maxilla, black ; mandible, pale horn color. Measure- 

 ments, same as male. The downy young are prettily marked 

 above with light and dark brown, spotted with a darker shade. 

 Throat, pale brown, shading into dull white below. Range, 

 western Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, table-lands of 

 Mexico. 



A harlequin in markings and a fool in actions 

 might truthfully be said of this peculiar bird. Of 

 its two common names — " black-bellied " and 

 " fool quail " — the one aptly refers to an oddity 

 of its coloration, while the other has been earned 

 by its apparent lack of that cleverness which goes 

 far toward making the fame of some of its rela- 

 tives. To me, its rounded back, movements, and 

 the spotted sides are comically suggestive of a 

 small guinea fowl. It prefers high ground, and 

 in the mountain ranges as high as nine thousand 

 feet. In disposition and habits it differs broadly 

 from all members of the group, being seemingly 

 too confiding to suspect danger. It shows no ten- 

 dency to run, it does not pack, in fact in seldom- 

 visited regions each family keeps to itself and fol- 

 lows the even tenor of a placid life without concern 

 for the ways of the human destroyer. When 

 closely approached, it may move sufficiently to 

 escape being trodden upon, but fear seems foreign 

 to its gentle nature. As often as not it will stand 

 motionless while regarding the intruder with an 

 air of mild wonder. Or, possibly in obedience 

 to some instinctive trust in coloration, it will de- 



