470 



NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



made to introduce it in Utah, and its area promises to extend much farther 

 west than its original limits. This species has also been acclimated in 

 Jamaica, and now abounds in all parts of that island. There they are said, 

 by Mr. March, to make no nest, but to lay on the ground, in tufts of grass- 

 roots or under clumps of bushes, usually from twelve to twenty eggs. These 

 are smaller than with us, measuring 1.25 inches by an inch. Mr. March 

 adds that, during incubation, the male may usually be found sitting on a 

 low branch in the vicinity of the nest, but does not assist in incubation. 



The Quail has also been introduced into the island of St. Croix, and is 

 now very common in almost every part of it, being especially abundant in 

 the grass lands of the southwestern part. Their habits appear to be some- 

 what modified by their place of abode, as Mr. Newton has several times 

 seen birds of this species fly up from the ground when flushed, and perch 

 upon trees. He also states that, so far as he could find, tlieir nest is never 

 covered over, as described by some writers, but consists merely of a shallow 

 hole scraped in the ground, in which is deposited a little dried -grass or 

 " trash," the leaves of the sugar-cane. It is often placed to leeward of a 

 protecting cane " stool." 



This bird is probably found in all the New England States, though its 

 presence in Maine is not certain, and, if found there at all, is only met with 

 in the extreme southwestern portion. It is also rare in Vermont and New 

 Hampshire, and only found in the southern portions. It is not given by Mr. 

 Boardman, nor by Professor Verrill. Farther west it has a more northern 

 distribution, being found in Northern New York and in Southern Canada. 

 Mr. Mcllwraith gives it as resident in the neighborliood of Hamilton. 



In many parts of Massachusetts the Quail has become a very rare bird, 

 owing to the ravages caused by sportsmen and the severity of winters, heavy 

 falls of snow being frequently particularly fatal to them. 



The Quails are not migratory, rarely moving to any extent from the spot 

 where they were hatched, even in quest of food, and are easily affected by 

 scarcity of food or by the severity of the winter season. In heavy falls of 

 snow they frequently huddle together on the ground, and allow themselves 

 to be buried in the drifts. If the snow is light, they can easily extricate 

 themselves, and run over its surface in quest of berries and the seeds of 

 shrubs ; but if the fall be followed by a partial thaw, and a crust forms, 

 the birds are made prisoners within its impenetrable cover, and miserably 

 perish of hunger. In the severe winter of 1866 and 1867, large numbers 

 of Quails thus perished throughout all jDarts of Massachusetts. When the 

 snow melted, they were found, in numerous instances, crowded close together 

 and embedded in the frozen drifts. 



Unlike most birds of this family, the American Quail never collects in 

 large flocks, but usually moves in small family groups, varying in number 

 from ten to thirty, but too often reduced to a mere remnant by the inroads 

 of the sportsman. When there are two broods in a season, the second brood 



