BIRDS 283 



are the eastern quail, or "bob-white," abundant in the eastern 

 and central United States, the ruffed grouse of the eastern 

 woods, and the prairie chicken of the western prairies. Besides 

 the bob-white there are five other quail species in this country, 

 all of which live in western and especially southwestern 

 regions. The examination of many stomachs has shown that 

 more than 50 per cent, of the food of all these quail is weed 

 seeds. The rest is composed of insects, some grains, and a 

 miscellany comprising leaves, buds, spiders, myriapods, crusta- 

 ceans, etc. The bob-white eats about 83! per cent, vegetable 

 matter and i6| per cent, animal matter. As the weed seeds 

 and insects together compose the major part of the food, quails 

 are far more beneficial than hurtful to the farmer. 



The doves and pigeons constitute the small order Columbcs, 

 closely related to the Gallina. The bill is covered at the base 

 by a soft swollen membrane, or cere, in which the nostrils open. 

 The food consists of fruits, seeds and grains. The most 

 familiar wild species is the mourning dove, or turtle dove, which 

 occurs all over the country, and is shot as a game bird in some 

 states. The beautiful passenger pigeon, formerly extremely 

 abundant, moving about in enormous flocks in the eastern and 

 central states, has been exterminated by ruthless killing. All 

 the various kinds of domestic pigeons such as pouters, fantails 

 carriers, ruff-necks, tumblers, etc., are believed to be the modi- 

 fied descendants of the common European rock dove, Columba 

 lima. 



Other Land Birds. Of the other land birds, besides the 

 GalliiKB and Columbce, about one-half belong to the order 

 Passeres. or perching birds. The others are distributed among 

 the orders Raptores, or birds of prey, Pici, or woodpeckers 

 Coccyges, or cuckoos and kingfishers, Macrochires, or whip- 

 poorwills, chimney-swifts and humming-birds, and the 

 Psittaci, or parrots, of which but one species, the small Caro- 

 lina parroquet, exists wild, in small numbers, in the United 

 States. It is found only in Florida. 



The Raptores include the eagles, hawks, vultures and owls, 

 and their food habits make them on the whole decidedly bene- 

 ficial birds. Of the fifty or more species of eagles and hawks 



