CALLIPEPLA GAMBELIL.

Gambel’s Partridge.

SPECT FIC Ca AURIAC TER.

aoe } ‘ eA Se ecicei ys A. ‘ A \ a z ‘ A :
Call. lores, gutture et crista mgris ; hac erecta, paululiim recurvata, nequidém ut in C. Californica,
abdomine inferiore nigro pone lunulam latam cervinam ; lateribus nitidé castaneis, singulrs

plumis strigd alba centrali notatis.

Forehead, chin and throat deep velvety black, encircled from the posterior angle of the eye with
a broad line of white; across the head and passing down behind the eye another line of
white, bounded posteriorly with black ; crest straight, erect, and of a deep black ; occiput
rusty red ; feathers of the sides and back of the neck lanceolate in form and of a blue-grey,
encircled all round with brown, and with a narrow line of the same colour down the
centre; back, wings, rump and upper tail-coverts olive-grey ; tertiaries edged with buff
narrowly on their outer webs and broadly on their inner ones; tail grey; chest blue-grey;
upper part of the abdomen buff; centre of the abdomen black; flank feathers rich
chestnut, with a line of buffy white down the centre; lower part of the abdomen and
under tail-coverts sandy buff, with a broad stripe of greyish brown down the centre of each
of the latter ; bill black ; feet brown.

Total length, 9% inches; z//, t+; wing, 43; tal, 4; tarsa, 12; middle toe and nail, 12.

Lophortyx Gambeli, Nutt. Proc. A sad. Nat. Sci. Phil., vol. i. p. 260.
Callipepla Gambelii, Gamb. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil., vol. i. p. 219, New Ser.
Callipepla venusta, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIV. p. 70.

 

In my description of Calhpepla Californica 1 have stated that it is second in beauty to no member of the
group; but at that time I was unaware of the existence of the C. Gambelii, which may dispute the palm,

and is indeed a still finer bird. As yet I have only seen two examples, one of which is in the Museum at

Neufchatel, the other in that of the Garden of Plants at Paris. As soon as these came under my observation,
I hastened to make the existence of the species known by characterizing it 1 the “ Proceedings of the
nusta, but soon after found that it had been previously named

”

Zoological Society,” under the name of ve
Gambelii by Nuttall after his friend Dr. Gambel, which appellation I have accordingly adopted, and sunk my

o © SS Y a . ve ae » 1 eo Mr %o
own into a synonym. I have also great pleasure in giving the following extract from Dr. Gambel’s

account of the species :-—
«This beautiful species I discovered on the eastern side of t |
running about in company with another species, which

he Californian Range of mountains in 1841.

They were numerous, in flocks of fifteen or twenty,
yecimens I had procured, whilst engaged in s
Several spiral-podded species of Prosopis, with low

inning this, were devoured
I thought new also; but the sy kinning :
almost at my elbow by a couple of hungry ravens.
spreading branches, afforded them excellent covert, and the seeds of bushy Malvas, Chenopodiums, and
ading shes
Artemisias, probably served them as food in that dreary region.
«Here, where one would suppose it to be impossible for any animal to subsist, they were seen running
‘ r > it] ~ oO 1 ag r LT eAyV we » Ter
about in small flocks, occasionally uttering a low guttural call of recognition, sometimes of several notes very
different from that of the common species.
display the long crest.”
: 3 = be s < S . © ; ~ 7 > aysy6 .
It is very nearly allied to C. Californica, but is distinguished from that bird by the erect carriage of the
c ¢C J Se f DS : :
| by the absence of the scale-like markings of the abdomen,

When flying they utter a loud sharp whistle, and conspicuously

crest, the rich colouring of the flank feathers,
and the greater length of the tail.

Habitat. California.

The figures are of the natural size, taken fr

Director of the Museum at Neufchatel.

om an adult specimen kindly lent to me by M. Louis Coulon,

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