EASTERN BOB WHITE 15 



occurrence. But, as the quail has many enemies and many nests 

 are broken up or deserted, it may be that the late broods are merely 

 belated attempts to raise a family ; in which case, perhaps one brood 

 in the North and two in the South is more nearly the average. 



Most authorities agree that the period of incubation is about 23 

 or 24 days. Both sexes share this duty. In the study of 276 nests 

 by Mr. Stoddard (1931), in southern Georgia and northern Florida, 

 so far as could be ascertained 73 were entirely in charge of the cock 

 and 175 in charge of the hen. If any fatal accident befall the hen, 

 as too often happens, then the cock assumes full charge of the eggs 

 and afterwards takes care of the young. It is said, too, that after the 

 young are two or three weeks old the mother hands the brood over 

 to the care of their father and starts to lay a second set of eggs ; but 

 I doubt if this has been definitely proved. 



Young quail leave the nest almost as soon as they are hatched, 

 and the eggshells are generally left in the nest, although occasionally 

 a chick is seen rumiing away with part of the shell on its back. They 

 are carefully tended by their devoted parents, who use every known 

 artifice to distract an enemy. Dr. T. M. Brewer (Baird, Brewer, and 

 Ridgway, 1905) relates the following to illustrate an extreme case 

 of parental boldness : 



Once as I was rapidly descending a path on the side of a hill, among a low 

 growth of scrub-oak I came suddenly upon a covey of young Quail, feeding on 

 blueberries, and directly in the path. They did not see me until I was close 

 upon them, when the old bird, a fine old male, flew directly towards me and 

 tumbled at my feet as if in a dying condition, giving at the same time a shrill 

 whistle, expressive of intense alarm. I stooped and put my hand upon his 

 extended wings, and could easily have caught him. The young birds, at the 

 cry of the parent, flew in all directions; and their devoted father soon fol- 

 lowed them, and began calling to them in a low cluck, like the cry of the Brown 

 Thresher. The young at this time were hardly more than a week old, and 

 seemed to fly perfectly well to a short distance. 



Their ability to fly at such an early age is due to the fact that their 

 wings begin to sprout almost as soon as they are hatched; I have 

 seen young chicks not more than 2 inches long with wings reaching 

 to their tails; they are very active and vigorous and grow very 

 rapidly. They are experts at hiding; a warning note from the 

 watchful parent, who previously has kept the brood together by 

 frequent gentle twitterings, sends them to cover instantly; instinc- 

 tively they dart under some fallen leaf, beneath a tuft of grass, into 

 some thick vegetation or little hollow, where they remain motionless 

 until told by their parent that danger has passed. Edwyn Sandys 

 (1904) has described this so well that I quote the following: 



If those who may stumble upon a brood of quail will take a sportsman- 

 naturalist's advice, they will promptly back away for a few yards, sit down, 

 and remain silently watchful. No search should be attempted, for the searcher 



