THE BIRDS 



423 



species. It is doubtful that the cowbirds reduce the song birds to any- 

 appreciable extent, however. 



Quail. The quail, partridge, or bobwhite, so called by different peo- 

 ple in different sections of the country, is among the most tasty of the 

 game birds. It has comparatively small wings and must vibrate them 

 very rapidly during flight, so that they produce a characteristic whirring 

 noise that sounds like a miniature airplane taking off. 



Courtesy Chicago Natural History Museum 



Fig. 27.14. Left, skeleton of Archaeornis, an extinct ancestor of modern birds. Right, 

 Restoration of Archaeornis. Note that this ancient bird had teeth, a long bony tail, 

 and lacked the well developed breast muscles of modern birds. It also had digits and 



claws on its wings. 



The male excavates a place in the ground and lines it with leaves and 

 grass and takes turns sitting on the eggs. The young quail usually stay 

 with their parents after they have matured, so quail are usually seen in 

 coveys. When flushed they scatter in all directions and reassemble after 

 the danger is past, finding each other through a special call. When 

 sleeping, the covey is gathered in a circle facing outward, so that if they 

 are disturbed during the night they can take sudden flight without col- 

 liding with others in the darkness. In the spring the coveys separate 

 and the males take up a stand and give their bobwhite call hoping to 



