88 VERTEBRATES: BIRDS. 



an air-sack on each side of the neck by which it is 

 able to produce a loud booming sound, which can be 

 heard a mile. It is abundant on the Western prairies. 

 It is easily tamed. Audubon once caught sixty in the 

 autumn, and, having clipped the tips of their wings, 

 put them in a field. Within a week they became so 

 tame that they were not afraid when he came near 

 them, and before winter was over would eat from the 

 hand. The Ruffed Grouse, or Partridge, of the United 

 States, is about the size of the Prairie Chicken, with 

 beautifully barred and spotted plumage. 



QUAILS. 



These birds are much smaller than the Grouse, and 

 about forty kinds are found in America. The Quail 



Fig. 143. Quail. 



has a body about as large as a pigeon, and its color is 

 reddish brown. In Pennsylvania and southward it is 

 called the Partridge. Its notes are a sort of whistle. 



