The United States Races of the Bob-White

Abstract

AT the time of his death, E. W. Nelson was undertaking a complete revision of the genus Colinus. He had amassed a very large number of specimens on loan from virtually all of the American collections. He had supplemented this material with a considerable number of specimens which he induced various people to collect for him from key localities. His correspondence indicates that at the time of his death he was still attempting to assemble material from other localities. Beside copies of his voluminous correspondence relative to bob-whites, he left a number of penciled notes giving lists of measurements, descriptions of certain variations which he detected, and accounts of introductions and their results. These, together with a few identifications over his initials on specimen labels, indicate considerable progress in the understanding of the complex variation of this highly plastic species. At the time of his death he was obviously still in the process of amassing data and specimens, but no very definite opinions as to racial subdivisions were put on paper. The only opinions obviously differing from the current A. O. U. CheckList arrangement as indicated by his notes were the recognition of a distinct Great Plains form, and the elimination of the Key West race. After Dr. Nelson's death, unfortunately, it was necessary to return to their respective owners without further study the specimens which had been amassed with such great pains. The return of specimens had been completed before my arrival on the scene, so I have had neither the advantage of information which these great series con-ß veyed, nor of personal contact with Dr. Nelson, who undoubtedly had in his head a wealth of information about the variation of bob-whites which he never put on paper. However, when it became necessary for me to work out the status of the United States races of this bird, in connection with current work on the distribution of upland game birds, I did have the advantage of the fine collections which Dr. Nelson was largely instrumental in acquiring for the Fish and Wildlife Service (Biological Survey) collection of the United States National Museum, together with those notes which he left unfinished.