412 



huddled together and dead from this cause. Cats, owls and vermin, too, take 

 advantage of this way of roosting. In fact the quail is a bird which lives almost 

 entirely upon the ground, and only occasionally, as when the snow is deep and 

 loose, are they known to take to the trees when flushed. 



The quail is a most useful friend to the farmer, and if his worth were well 

 understood by those patrons of industry, and its gentle harmless ways appreci- 

 ated, it is doubtful if the sportsman would get permission so often to trespass 

 with his dog among the golden rod about the buckwheat fields, where this hand- 

 some little game bird is so generally found. 



The food of the quail is seeds of various plants and berries. They feed largely 

 also upon grasshoppers, cutworms and other insects and grubs, and get fat upon 

 them. They are also very fond of buckwheat, corn and other kinds of grain. 

 Their flesh is delicious, being far finer and more delicate than that of the grouse. 

 ^During the breeding season the male bird, while its mate is setting, frequently 

 mounts a stump or fence and whistles a note which sounds like the words " bob- 

 white," hence the name. 



