414 GAME-BIRDS. 



much of him ; he will whistle to two or three wives if neces- 

 sary ; and he will even accept the law of Moses, and assume 

 the part of husband towards his brother's widow. Should his 

 wife propose a family of fifteen instead of nine, he does not 

 complain ; and, moreover, having escorted his young family 

 about for a short time, he is ready to go through this once or 

 even twice more. In fact, he carries his amiability and in- 

 dustry so far as often to introduce a half-grown family to the 

 rigors of winter, so that it is not uncommon to find a covey of 

 these little " cheepers, " when hardly able to fly, even in No- 

 vember. A successful pair of Quail often turn out twenty- 

 five young in a season. During the period of incubation, the 

 Quail often appear on our lawns, or on the walls and fences 

 by the roadside. Though their bills are especially adapted to 

 crushing, and their crops to dissolving small grains and seeds, 

 they are also fond of grubs, worms, and other insects, and are 

 thus useful in destroying the farmer's pests. 



When the armistice granted by law and custom is over, the 

 male, with his family, seeks securer spots, becoming restless 

 and active. From this time forward, he seeks safety in con- 

 cealment and silence, and only betrays his presence by the 

 plaintive call which his social instincts compel him to utter 

 when separated from his companions, or by the treacherous 

 scent of his body, which he cannot retain. Besides being 

 very uncertain in his daily wanderings, especially to those 

 who are unfamiliar with the locality, he is to a certain extent 

 migratory ; but his migrations, unlike those of the true Quail 

 of Europe, are always performed on foot, so far as possible. 

 We believe that this is not much the case in New England ; 

 though, from the accidental appearance of a covey in the 

 Berkshire Hills, and in those of New Hampshire beyond the 

 isothermal lines which mark the northern range of these birds, 

 it may be inferred that they are very vagrant in their dis- 

 position. In Delaware and Maryland, however, coveys of 

 Quail often appear, who are distinctively called " runners " 

 by the sportsmen there. On the western side of the Chesa- 

 peake, an old sportsman assured me that covey after covey 

 passed through the country, where food and shelter were 



