86 BULLETIN 162, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



G. W. Todd's notes state : 



The only nest of this species I have ever seen was situated under the edge 

 of a big bunch of a coarse species of grass, known as "hickory grass." This 

 grass grows out from the center and hangs over on all sides until the blades 

 touch the ground. It is a round, hard-stemmed grass, and only grows on the 

 most sterile soil. According to my observations the Massena partridge is seldom 

 seen in other localities than where this grass grows. I was riding at a walk 

 up the slope of a barren hill when my horse almost stepped on a nest, touching 

 just the rim of it. The bird gave a startled flutter, alighting again within 3 

 feet of the nest and not over 6 feet from me ; thence she walked away with 

 her crest slightly erected, uttering a low chuckling whistle until lost to view 

 behind a Spanish bayonet plant (yucca), about 30 feet off. I was riding a 

 rather unruly horse and had to return about 30 yards to tie him to a yucca 

 before I could examine the nest. This was placed in a slight depression, 

 possibly dug out by some animal, the top of the nest being on a level with 

 the earth around it. It was well lined with fine stalks of wire grass almost 

 exclusively, the cavity being about 5 inches in diameter and 2 inches deep. 

 At the back, next to the grass, it was slightly arched over, and the overhanging 

 blades of grass hid it entirely from sight. The nest was more carefully 

 made than the average bobwhite's nest and very nicely concealed. 



There is a set of 13 eggs in Col. John E. Thayer's collection, taken 

 by Virgil W. Owen in Cochise County, Ariz., June 18, 1905. The 

 nest is described as " a slight depression under a bunch of saw-grass, 

 which was growing on a hillside. It was quite compactly built of 

 straws, grass, and leaves, with a tubular entrance extending out about 

 six inches from the nest. The whole nest was roofed over and well 

 concealed by overhanging grass." 



Eggs. — Mearns's quail is known to lay from 8 to 14 eggs. These 

 vary in shape from ovate to short ovate or ovate pyriform, usually 

 more elongated than those of the bobwhite. The shell is smooth and 

 somewhat glossy. They are pure white, dull white, or creamy white 

 and unmarked, but often much nest stained. The measurements of 

 39 eggs average 31.9 by 24.7 millimeters; the eggs showing the 

 four extremes measure 33 by 24.4, 32.3 by 27.3, 30.5 by 24.6, and 

 31.5 by 23 millimeters. 



Young. — The period of incubation seems to be unknown. Both 

 sexes share in the incubation and in the care of the young. Frank 

 C. Willard, who has seen many nests, tells me that 



in about half of the nests examined the male was on the eggs. In two in- 

 stances both birds were at the nest. In one which I went to see on August 17, 

 1913, the male was sitting at the entrance with a newly hatched chick poking 

 its head out from under his wing. The female was in the nest, which was well 

 arched over. Around her was a row of little ones, and one was sitting on her 

 back. This charming picture lasted but a few seconds. The two old birds 

 fluttered away, pretending disability to fly. The scarcely dry young could not 

 walk, but crawled away with astonishing rapidity. 



