158 BIRDS 



The blue quail, like all the other Western and South- 

 western species, prefers to trust to safetj^ to its powers of 

 running, rather than those of flight. The great trouble is 

 to start them from the ground. 



A slight depression under a bush serves for the nest of 

 this bird, which is generally lined with a few coarse grasses. 

 Complete sets of eggs have been found as early as April 25. 

 The eggs are extremely thick-shelled, of a buffy-white or 

 cream color. The number laid ranges from eight to sixteen. 



The habits of this quail do not differ greatly from those 

 of bob-white, though they have not been fully studied, and 

 the species is of less extensive distribution. 



GAMBEL'S PARTRIDGE * 



Gambel's Partridge, of which comparatively little is 

 known, is a characteristic game bird of Arizona and New 

 Mexico, of rare beauty, and with habits similar to others 

 of the species, of which there are about two hundred. 

 Mr, W, E. D. Scott found the species distributed through- 

 out the entire Catalina region in Arizona below an alti- 

 tude of five thousand feet. The bird is also known as the 

 Arizona Quail. 



The nest is made in a depression in the ground, some- 

 times without any lining. From eight to sixteen eggs are 

 laid. They are most beautifully marked on a creamy- 

 white ground with scattered spots and blotches of old gold, 

 and sometimes light drab and chestnut red. In some speci- 

 mens the gold coloring is so pronounced that it strongly 

 suggests to the imagination that this quail feeds upon the 



