Part 123

=Ortyx virginianus=, var. =floridanus= (III, 469, footnote). Specimens from Miami, Fla., exhibit the peninsular extreme of this species. They are altogether more like var. cubanensis than like virginianus proper, yet they differ uniformly in such essential respects from the Cuban form that they merit a distinctive name. The characteristic features of this form are the following:—

CHAR. Above, with dark bluish-gray prevailing, only the anterior part of the back being washed, or mixed, with reddish; scapulars and tertials quite conspicuously bordered with whitish. The whole gray surface more or less mottled or barred with black. The head-stripes are nearly uniformly black, with only a little rusty mixed in the occiput; the black gular collar is much extended, encroaching on the throat anteriorly, so as to leave only an inch, or less, of white, and posteriorly invades the jugulum, so that there is more than an inch of continuous black, and over this distance where black predominates. The entire abdomen, anal region, and breast are heavily barred with black, the black bars on the breast almost equalling the white ones in width. The sides, flanks, and crissum are nearly uniform rufous, the feathers of the former with white edges, broken by the extensions of the black streak which runs inside the white, while the latter have heavy black medial streaks and white terminal spaces.

The female is similar, except in the color of the head, which is exactly that of var. texanus.

Wing, ♂, 4.30–4.40; ♀, 4.35. Culmen, .60–.65; tarsus, 1.15–1.20; middle toe, 1.05–1.10.

=Oreortyx pictus= (III, 475). Dr. Cooper found these birds already paired near the summit of the Sierra Nevada, where the snow was but half melted off, and they scarcely descended below the limits of the snow in the coldest weather. In July he saw young birds just hatched near Truckee, at an elevation of 6,000 feet. This was on the 24th. On the 28th another brood, a little older, was seen at the foot of Mt. Stanford, about 8,000 feet above the sea. Most of the broods, however, were nearly fledged at that time. Dr. Cooper also mentions that he found this Quail not rare in the mountains east of San Diego above an elevation of 3,800 feet. He thought, also, that he heard this bird in the Santa Anna range east of Annaheim. It also exists in the Santa Inez Mountains, sixteen miles east of San Buenaventura, at an altitude of from 3,000 to 4,000 feet. It seems to be confined to the zone of coniferous trees, rarely if ever coming below them. Mr. Henshaw has obtained this species at Apache, in Arizona.

=Lophortyx gambeli= (III, 482). Captain Bendire found this Quail breeding in the vicinity of Tucson, in Arizona, near Rillito Creek, occasionally nesting in situations above the ground. One nest, seen June 7, 1872, contained three fresh eggs. It was two feet above the ground, on a willow stump, and in an exposed place, near the creek. The nest was composed of the leaves of the cottonwood-tree. In some instances he found as many as eighteen eggs in one nest. These closely resemble the eggs of the California Quail, so much so as to be hardly distinguishable from them. They are all of a rounded oval shape, sharply tapering at one end, and quite obtuse at the other. They measure 1.24 inches in length by one inch in their largest breadth. Their ground-color varies from a deep cream to a light drab. Some are sparingly marked with large and well-defined spots, most of them circular in shape, and of a rich purplish-brown color. In others the whole surface is closely sprinkled with minute spots of yellowish-brown, intermingled with which are larger spots of a dark purple. This species was obtained in Southern Utah by Mr. Henshaw.

II.

EXPLANATION OF TERMS USED IN DESCRIBING THE EXTERNAL FORM OF BIRDS.

Turdus migratorius, L.]

REFERENCES TO THE FIGURE.

N. B. In the figure the adjacent regions are separated by a double bar, with the letters belonging to each affixed.

A. The body in general. B. The region of the head. C. The region of the neck. D. The region of the trunk. E. The region of the tail. F. The region of the wings. G. The region of the legs. H. The feathers.

NOTE.—I am under obligations to Professor Sundevall of Stockholm and Dr. Sclater of London for assistance in correcting and improving the present article.—S. F. BAIRD.

B. Head.

9. Bill in general. 10. Maxilla. 11. Mandible. 20. Ridge. 21. Tip of maxilla. 22. Keel. 23. Angle of chin. 27. Angle of mouth. 28. Commissure. 28½. Nostrils. 30. Cap (pileus), includes 32, 33. 31. Crown (vertex). 32. Front head (sinciput). 33. Hind head (occiput). 34. Forehead. 36. Frontal points. 39. Lores. 40. Ophthalmic region. 41. Orbits. 42. Cheeks. 43. Eyebrows. 44. Temples. 45. Parotics. 46. Chin.

C. Neck.

48. Hind neck (includes 49, 50). 49. Nape. 50. Scruff. 51. Fore neck (includes 52, 53). 52. Throat. 53. Jugulum. 54. Side neck.

D. Trunk or Body.

57. Back (includes 58, 59). 58. Upper back. 59. Lower back. 60. Rump. 61. Mantle (back and wings together). 62. Breast. 63. Abdomen (includes 64, 65). 64. Epigastrium. 65. Belly. 66. Crissum.

E. Tail.

70. Tail feathers (or rectrices). 72. Upper tail coverts. 73. Lower tail coverts.

F. Wings.

75. Primary quills. 76. Secondary quills. 77. Bend of wing. 79. False wing (alula). 80. Scapulars. 86. Primary coverts. 89. Secondary coverts (include 92, 93, 94). 92. Greater wing coverts. 93. Lesser wing coverts. 94. Middle wing coverts. 95. Edge of wing.

G. Legs.

97. Thigh (concealed under skin). 98. Shin (tibia). 103. Heel joint. 103½. Tarsus. 112. Foot. 116. Toes. 126. Outer toe. 127. Inner toe. 128. Middle toe. 129. Hind toe.

For the purpose of defining the form, markings, coloration, and other peculiarities of birds, the different regions of the body have received names by which intelligible reference can be made to any portion. It is, perhaps, hardly necessary to say that all living birds have a head supported on a neck, with jaws extended into a bill covered with a horny sheath, or with skin, the two jaws situated one above the other, and always destitute of teeth. The anterior pair of limbs is developed into wings which, however, are not always capable of use in flight; the posterior serve as legs for the support of the body in an oblique or nearly erect position. The body is covered with feathers of variable structure and character, both in the young bird and the old. (The wings are apparently wanting in some fossil species.)

The following terms, English and Latin, are those most generally employed in describing the external form of birds, and are principally as defined by Illiger. In cases where there is no suitable English word in use, the Latin equivalent only is given. The figure selected for illustration, drawn by Mr. R. Ridgway, is that of the common American robin (Turdus migratorius, L.), and will be familiar to most students of ornithology.

A. Body in General (Corpus).