Chap. 3. 



BIRDS OF VERMONT. 



101 



THE WILD TURKEY. 



THE QUAIL. 



THE PARTRIDGE. 



Genus Meleagris. — LinncEus. 

 Generic Characters. — Bill entire, and at 

 the base covered by a membrano which is pro- 

 longed into a pendulous, fleshy, conic, erectile, 

 hairy carbuncle; nostrils oblique; tongue fleshy 

 and entire ; feet rather long ; tarsus naked, pro- 

 vided with a blunt spur in the male ; middle toe 

 longest ; nails wide and blunt, flat benchth ; wings 

 short ; 1st primary smallest, 4th and 5th largest; 

 tail of 14 to 18 wide feathers, and capable of a ver- 

 tical expansion ; head small, naked and warty ; a 

 pendulous tuft on the lower part of the neck. Fe- 

 male smaller ; colors duller and more obscure. 



THE WILD TURKEY. 



Meleagris gallopavo, — Linn^us. 



Description. — Upper part of the back 

 and wings yellowish-brow^n of a metallic 

 lustre, changing to deep purple, the tips 

 of the feathers broadly edged with velvet 

 black ; primaries dusky, banded with 

 white ; tail of 18 feathers, ferruginous 

 thickly waved with black, and with a 

 black band near the extremity ; lower 

 part of the back and tail coverts deep 

 chestnut, banded witli green and black ; 

 legs and feet purplish-red ; iris hazel ; 

 beneath duller. Female and young with 

 the colors less brilliant. Length 48, 

 spread 68. — Mutt. 



History. — The Wild Turkey, which 

 was formerly comrcon throughout our 

 whole country, has every where dimin- 

 ished with the advancement of the settle- 

 »nents,and is now become exceedingly rare 

 in all parts of New England, and indeed 

 in all the eastern parts of the United 

 States. A few of them, however, contin- 

 ue still to visit and breed upon the moun- 

 tains in the southern part of the state. 

 The Domestic Turkey sprung from this 

 species, and was sent from Mexico to 

 Spain in the 16th century. It was intro- 

 duced into England in 1524, and into 

 France and other parts of Europe about 

 the same time. 



Genus Perdix. — Latham. 

 Generic Characters. — Bill entire and 

 bare; upper mandible vaulted and strongly curv- 

 ed towards the point; nostrils basal, lateral, half 

 closed by a vaulted naked membrane ; foet naked, 

 fore toes united by a membrane to the first articu- 

 lation; hind toe less than half the length of the in- 

 ner; nails incurved, acute ; head wholly feather- 

 ed, often with a naked space around the eye ; tail 

 short, rounded, and deflected, consisting of from 

 12 to 18 close feathers. Female and youngscarce- 

 ly differ in plumage from the male. 



THE QUAIL. 



Perdix virgin iana. — Lath . 

 DESCRiPTioN.-Cinnamon brown above, 



varied with black and whitish ; crown, 

 neck and upper part of the breast reddish 

 brown ; line over the eye and tliroat pure 

 white, the latter bounded with a black 

 crescent; wings dusky, coverts edged 

 with yellowish white ; belly yellowish 

 white, varied with wide arrow heads of 

 black ; tail ash colored, finely spotted with 

 reddish brown ; bill black ; iris hazel ; legs 

 and feet light lead color. Lenrfth 9, spread 

 lA.—Jfutt. 



History. — This bird, generally known 

 as the Quail in New England, is in other 

 places more commonly called the Ameri- 

 can Partridge. It is not found in this 

 state at present very plentifully, but is 

 more common in the southwestern parts 

 tlian elsewhere. Tlicy generally go in 

 small flocks, spending most of the time on 

 the ground, and in autumn are often seen 

 gleaning in fields from which corn and 

 grain have been harvested. The Quail is 

 very prolific, laying from 10 to 18 eggs, 

 which are white, in a nest formed partly 

 in the ground, under the shelter of a tuft 

 of grass. Frequent attempts have been 

 made to domesticate the Quail, but with 

 very little success. 



Genus Tetrao. — Linnaus. 



Generic Characters. — Bill short, robust, 

 arcuated above, conve.x and bent towards the 

 lip, naked at the base ; nostrils basal, half 

 closed by an arched membrane, and hid- 

 den by small feathers ; tongue short, fleshy, and 

 pointed ; tarsus feathered and spurless in both sex- 

 es ; three toes before united to the first joint ; 

 hind toe half as long as the inner, and roughen 

 ed. 



THE PARTRIDGE- 



Tetrao umhellus. — Linn. 

 Description. — General color above 

 and beneath black, pale chestnut, and yel- 

 lowish white, marbled, and disposed in 

 spots, bars and lines. RufF brownish 

 black with greenish or cinnamon colored 

 reflections. Quills liver brown, their 

 outer webs barred near tiie base and mot- 

 tled towards the tip with cream yellow; 

 4th quill longest. Tail with alternate un- 

 dulating bars of brownish black, gray and 

 faint chestnut, the subterminal bar being 

 brownish black and broad ; a light stripe 

 from the nostril to the eye. Bill dark 

 horn color, short, arched, and covered at 

 the base by feathers ; head and neck 

 small; body bulky ; tarsus feathered half 

 way down before and some lower behind. 

 Wings short and broad. Tail large, fan 

 like, of 18 feathers. Length 18, spread 

 24. 



