on the breeding of the Mexican Black-breasted Quail. 115


known them to take over the incubation part of the business as well.

This year I provided the cock with another mate, as I thought that

he deserved one. Toward the end of June I missed her and guessed

that she was sitting, but as the grass and undergrowth this year was

particularly long I thought it useless to hunt for the nest. How¬

ever, on the 26th of the month, whilst looking for a Jackson’s

Whydah’s nest, I nearly put my foot on it. The cock fluttered off,

acting as if its wing were broken, and I really thought at first that I

must have injured him, but after he had lured me a few yards from

the nest he winged his way to the far end of the aviary. The nest

was neatly built of dead grass and roots and was very well hidden.

It contained ten white eggs, some of which were slightly stained

with pale grey and buff. Strange to say the nest was within 3 ft.

of that of the Jackson’s Whydah. I may here remark that the latter

bird’s nest, instead of being on the ground, as was the case last year,

was suspended from the growing grass more than a foot above it.

Possibly the wet season had something to do with this. On examining

the Quail’s nest again in the evening, I found that the cock had again

returned to it. From this time he sat night and day until July 19th,

only leaving the nest occasionally in the evening to feed. At such

times the eggs were left quite uncovered, sometimes for an hour or

more. On the 20th a little Quail’s head could be seen peeping out

from under the cock’s wings, and the next day he led away six little

ones. All this time the hen had been invisible, but I thought that

now her little ones were hatched she would take some interest in her

domestic duties again ; but no, she would have nothing to do with

them, and the fact that any of them were reared is entirely due to

the wonderful care of the good old father. The young ones were a

good deal darker when first born than Californians of the same age,

in this respect resembling the young of the White-cheeked Crested

Quail ( Eupsychortyx ). About this time I was away on holiday, so

didn’t see anything of them for two or three weeks, but my man told

me that they kept to the thick cover and were rarely visible. The

first that I saw of them was when they were about a month old.

They were then the colour of baby Partridges, and were in charge of

the cock as usual. At two months’ old there were three survivors.

These very closely resembled their mother. They were extremely



