At 1100 on 23 May 1977 Mary E. Bush and I observed two Elegant Quail (Lophortyx douglasii) near the village of Urique (27°12'N, 107°55'W) in southwestern Chihuahua, Mexico, 240 km SW of Chihuahua City. Urique lies along the edge of the Urique River on the floor of Barranca del Cobre in the Sierra Madre Occidental of northwest Mexico. Although the elevation at Urique is only 665 m (2200 ft.), many of the surrounding igneous massifs rise 2100–2300 m (6900–7600 ft.) above sea level. Chihuahuan Desert plants such as Honey Mesquite (Prosopis juliflora), Hairbrush Cactus (Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum), prickly-pear cactus (Opuntia spp.) and Yucca sp. were conspicuous on the open arid slopes above the river where they grew alongside scrubby tropical deciduous forest species such as Boat-thorn Acacia (Acacia cymbisipina), Silk-cotton Tree (Bombax palmeri), Ipomoea sp., etc. Cottonwood (Populus sp.) and willow (Salix sp.) dominated the riparian woodlands.