American Partridges and Quails 293 



like that of the Ruffed Grouse, is noisy and rapid, though not far extended, and 

 when disturbed they take refuge among the thickest leafy branches of a tree. 

 The male does not appear to "drum" after the manner of its relative, but utters, 

 as his call to the opposite sex, a sort of melancholy long-drawn whistle, which 

 in Scandinavia is often imitated by means of a hollow pipe of bone, wood, or 

 metal, and the bird lured within shooting distance. The nest is a slight depres- 

 sion scratched in the ground, and the eggs, some eight to twelve in number, 

 are buff spotted with brown. Of the habits of the Gray-bellied Hazel Hen 

 (T. grisehientris] of eastern Russia, little or nothing is known, and the same 

 may almost be said of Severtzov's Hazel Hen ( T. severtzovi} of western China. 



American Partridges and Quails (OdontophorincB). The second of the 

 minor groups into which the subfamily Tetraonina may be separated is char- 

 acterized by having the tarsi and nostrils entirely naked, as well as by the 

 absence of pectinations on the sides of the toes and the generally smaller size. 

 Among themselves they are also divisible into two groups, in the first of 

 which, including the American Partridges and Quails (Odontophorina), the 

 cutting edge of the lower mandible is more or less serrated, while in the other 

 (Perdicina), which embraces the Old World Partridges, Francolins, and Quails, 

 the lower mandible is without the serrations. The latter group, as will be 

 shown later, exhibits more or less of a transition to the Pheasants, and by 

 some is even placed with them in the subfamily Phasianina. 



Wood Grouse. Before passing to the more important members of this 

 group we may mention briefly the Wood Grouse, or Long-tailed Partridges 

 (Dendrortyx}, of which some six or seven forms are known, ranging through 

 Mexico to Costa Rica. They are large birds for the group, some of them reach- 

 ing a length of fifteen inches, and may be known at once by having the tail as 

 long or nearly as long as the wing, the middle pair of feathers being much longer 

 than the outer pair. They are plain-colored birds, the sexes being practically 

 similar, and without a very conspicuous crest. They frequent the high forest- 

 clad mountains, keeping much in the vicinity of the dense forests, and are 

 described as being very shy and difficult of approach. 



Scaled Partridges. In all the remaining members of this group the tail 

 is decidedly shorter than the wing, although in the first genus to be considered 

 (Callipepla) it is rather more than two thirds the length of the wing. This 

 genus is further distinguished by having a tail of fourteen feathers, a small 

 and weak bill, and a short crest which does not extend much beyond the feathers 

 of the head. This includes the Scaled Partridges, of which only two forms 

 are distinguished, although it was formerly made to include several forms now 

 accorded generic rank. They are rather handsome little birds, ten or twelve 

 inches long, light brownish or grayish above, with the hind neck, upper back, 

 chest, and sides bluish gray, each feather edged with black, thus producing 

 a scaled appearance. The remainder of the under parts are buffy with white 

 streaks along the flanks, and the crest is also tipped with white. The Scaled 

 Partridge, Blue Quail, or White Top-knot Quail (C. squamata), as it is variously 

 called, is a constant resident in northwestern Mexico and the contiguous border 



