﻿46 
  BOB 
  WHITE 
  AND 
  OTHER 
  QUAILS 
  OF 
  UNITED 
  STATES. 
  

  

  do 
  their 
  parents. 
  At 
  Marshall 
  Hall, 
  July 
  24, 
  19 
  droppings 
  collected 
  

   from 
  two 
  broods 
  of 
  downy 
  chicks 
  — 
  one 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  hours 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  

   shell 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  probably 
  several 
  days 
  old 
  — 
  consisted 
  wholly 
  of 
  

   the 
  remains 
  of 
  insects. 
  Their 
  fragmentary 
  condition 
  made 
  the 
  spe- 
  

   cies 
  almost 
  unrecognizable, 
  but 
  the 
  following 
  were 
  identified 
  : 
  

  

  Minute 
  green 
  leaf-eating 
  beetles 
  Weevils 
  (Rhynchophora). 
  

  

  (Chrysomelidcv) 
  , 
  at 
  least 
  two 
  spe- 
  Grasshopper 
  (Acrididce). 
  

  

  cies. 
  Caterpillars 
  (Lepidoptera) 
  . 
  

  

  Leaf-eating 
  beetle 
  (Colaspis 
  brunnea). 
  Ants 
  (Formicidw). 
  

  

  Small 
  scarabaeid 
  beetles 
  (Scarabwidw) 
  , 
  Stink 
  bug 
  (Euschistusf). 
  

  

  two 
  species. 
  Spiders 
  (Arachnida). 
  

  

  Longicorn 
  beetle 
  (Ceramhycidw), 
  one 
  Thousand 
  legs 
  (Julus 
  sp.). 
  

   species. 
  

  

  Ground 
  beetles 
  {Gar 
  ah 
  idee), 
  five 
  spe- 
  

   cies. 
  

  

  MASKED 
  BOB 
  WHITE. 
  

  

  (Col 
  inns 
  ridgtvayi.) 
  

  

  The 
  masked 
  bobwhite 
  is 
  slightly 
  smaller 
  than 
  the 
  bobwhite 
  of 
  the 
  

   Eastern 
  States, 
  and 
  the 
  male 
  differs 
  strikingly, 
  having 
  the 
  chin, 
  

   throat, 
  and 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  black, 
  and 
  the 
  underside 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  

   usually 
  uniform 
  rusty 
  reddish. 
  Since 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  the 
  bird 
  little 
  

   has 
  been 
  added 
  to 
  our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  its 
  life 
  history 
  beyond 
  some 
  notes 
  

   on 
  its 
  distribution, 
  and 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  its 
  probable 
  extinction 
  within 
  our 
  

   borders. 
  It 
  lived 
  on 
  grassy 
  plains 
  covering 
  a 
  limited 
  area 
  in 
  southern 
  

   Arizona, 
  south 
  and 
  southwest 
  of 
  Tucson, 
  and 
  ranged 
  into 
  northern 
  

   Sonora, 
  Mexico. 
  In 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  causes 
  leading 
  to 
  the 
  disappearance 
  

   of 
  the 
  masked 
  bobwhite, 
  Herbert 
  Brown 
  writes 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  causes 
  leading 
  to 
  the 
  extermination 
  of 
  the 
  Arizona 
  masked 
  bobwhite 
  

   (Colinus 
  ridgtvayi) 
  are 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  overstocking 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  with 
  cattle, 
  

   supplemented 
  by 
  several 
  rainless 
  years. 
  This 
  combination 
  practically 
  stripped 
  

   the 
  country 
  bare 
  of 
  vegetation. 
  Of 
  their 
  range 
  the 
  Colinus 
  occupied 
  only 
  

   certain 
  restricted 
  portions, 
  and 
  when 
  their 
  food 
  and 
  shelter 
  had 
  been 
  trodden 
  

   out 
  of 
  existence 
  by 
  thousands 
  of 
  hunger-dying 
  stock, 
  there 
  was 
  nothing 
  left 
  for 
  

   poor 
  little 
  bobwhite 
  to 
  do 
  but 
  go 
  out 
  with 
  them. 
  As 
  the 
  conditions 
  in 
  Sonora 
  

   were 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  in 
  Arizona, 
  birds 
  and 
  cattle 
  suffered 
  in 
  common. 
  The 
  

   Arizona 
  bobwhite 
  would 
  have 
  thriven 
  well 
  in 
  an 
  agricultural 
  country, 
  in 
  brushy 
  

   fence 
  corners, 
  tangled 
  thickets, 
  and 
  weed-covered 
  fields, 
  but 
  such 
  things 
  were 
  

   not 
  to 
  be 
  had 
  in 
  their 
  habitat. 
  Unless 
  a 
  few 
  can 
  still 
  be 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  Upper 
  

   Santa 
  Cruz 
  we 
  can, 
  in 
  truth, 
  bid 
  them 
  a 
  final 
  good-by.a 
  

  

  Kecent 
  information 
  received 
  by 
  the 
  Biological 
  Survey 
  from 
  Sonora 
  

   is 
  to 
  the 
  effect 
  that 
  these 
  interesting 
  birds 
  still 
  survive 
  in 
  parts 
  of 
  that 
  

   region, 
  and 
  efforts 
  are 
  being 
  made 
  by 
  a 
  game 
  association 
  to 
  obtain 
  

   living 
  birds 
  from 
  there 
  to 
  introduce 
  into 
  California. 
  The 
  natural 
  

   home 
  of 
  the 
  masked 
  bobwhite, 
  in 
  the 
  hot 
  and 
  arid 
  desert 
  of 
  southern 
  

  

  « 
  Auk., 
  XXI, 
  p. 
  213, 
  April, 
  1904, 
  

  

  

  