96 BIRD WORLD. 



When the little ones hatch, they come out already 

 clothed with down, and run off with their mother, like 

 young Grouse or barnyard chickens. Their parents 

 look after them, however, very carefully, teaching 

 them to hide in the grass at the approach of hawks 

 or prowling cats. 



Like the Grouse, the Quail rarely leaves the fields 

 where he was born ; but, unlike the Grouse, the flock 

 or covey, as it is called, generally keep together all 

 winter, and instead of roosting on trees they have a 

 very sociable habit of spending the night. The whole 

 company squat on the ground close together, heads 

 out, their tails forming the center of a circle. In this 

 way they are kept warm and can be on the lookout 

 for danger. 



One winter — a sad winter for Quails — there w^as a 

 heavy snow which covered the ground deeply for 

 weeks ; when it finally melted, a little circle of quail 

 bodies was found dead. The snow had smothered 

 and buried them as the ashes buried the people of 

 Pompeii. 



When the winter is not too severe, the Quails scratch 

 the snow away, hunting for seeds and grain. If they 

 have not been hunted or pursued too much, they 

 sometimes become very tame, and come shyly into 

 the barnyard or about the house for food. 



In the summer, berries and corn and wheat that 



