“A few days afterwards, however, when encamped on the head waters of the river, I found a covey, and succeeded in obtaining several specimens, one of which I had skinned, but which was afterwards unfortunately lost. From that point we occasionally met with these birds on the route to the Pecos river, a distance of over one hundred miles. I did not see them again until we came to the Eagle Springs, in a mountainous region about twenty-five miles from the Rio Grande. Two covies were found there, and several specimens were obtained. “In the spring of 1851, I again passed over the same route in charge of a military expedition, and on the way out, two of these birds only were seen, one of which, (a female,) was killed by Major E. Backus, U. S. Army, and is now in the collection of Dr. Woodhouse, who was then going out with a party of topographical engineers to which he was attached. When returning in July last, I chanced to kill at an encamping ground near Howard’s Springs, between the San Pedro and Pecos rivers, the specimen which I now send you. It was the only one that I saw on the route as I came back from New Mexico, and it is but fair to conjecture that these birds are not at all numerous. “They appear to inhabit the rocky sides of the mountains and hills in that desolate region of elevated plains, west of the fertile portions of Texas, living amidst the solitude that wraps them in silence, far from enemies and the busy haunts of men. In no instance have I met with this species near any settlements. The wild, rocky hill-sides in the lone wilderness, seem to be their favorite resort; and there, where trees are almost unknown, and vegetation is scant, and where hardly a living thing is seen, are these fine birds found in all their beauty and gentleness. The covies of them showed but little alarm at our approach, and ran along over the rocks, occasionally attempting to secrete themselves beneath them, in which case they would let a person approach within a few feet. When startled by the firing of a gun, they fly but a few yards before again alighting, and exhibit little of that wildness peculiar to all the other species of partridges with which I am acquainted.”