28 Mr. H. E. Dresser on the Birds of Southern Texas. 
ments of the troops stationed there) told me that they had 
shot some California Quail near Devil's River. They might, 
however, have been Gambel's Quail, which certainly is found 
there. 
Lophortyx gambeli (Nuttall). Gambel's Quail. 
Not a common bird in Texas, and found only in certain 
localities. At Muddy Creek, near Fort CJarke, they are not 
uncommon, and are also found near the Nueces River. 
Callipepla squamata (Vigors). Blue Quail. 
On the Rio Grande above Roma, and between the Rio Grande 
and the Rio Nueces, this Quail is abundant, and where it is 
found seems to have the country to itself, to the exclusion of 
the other species. I found them most difficult to shoot; for 
when a bevy was disturbed the birds would scatter themselves, 
and, running with outstretched necks and erected crests, would 
dodge through the bushes like rabbits, so as soon to be out of 
reach. I have seen a bevy of ten to fifteen so completely dis¬ 
appear that I could not find a single one of them. If left un¬ 
disturbed they commence their call-note (which is not unlike 
the chirp of a chicken), and soon reunite. * 
At first I could not bring myself to fire at them on the ground, 
but, finding it impossible to get them to rise, I soon gave up 
fair play, and must plead guilty to several shots into bevies 
when, unmindful of danger, they were collected under a cactus 
or a bush. Near the small villages in Mexico I have found 
them very tame; and at Prosilio, on the Rio Grande, I noticed 
them in a corral, feeding with some poultry. I have never seen 
their eggs, but am told by the Mexicans that they are dull white, 
with minute reddish spots at the larger end. 
Professor Baird, in his work on the ‘ Birds of North America/ 
speaks (page 647) of a specimen of this species from New Leon 
having “ a large brownish chestnut spot on the middle of the 
belly," and thus differing from other skins. In all adult males 
I shot, both in Texas and Mexico, I noticed this chestnut patch, 
and sometimes to a slight extent in the females also. 
Male. Bill blackish; legs bluish-grey; iris dark brown. Sto¬ 
mach containing small mezquite beans. 
