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31, vv\ 





ISSUED IN BEHALF OF THE SCIENCE WHICH IT ADVOCATES. 





Volume II, 



JULY, 



1876. 



Number 



5. 



J3ij^d,s' Eggs and. JSfests. 



Species mentioned in this issue : — 

 Plumed Quail, Blue Quail, Black- 

 headed Grosbeak, Blue Grosbeak, Bul- 

 lock's Oriole, Black-bellied Plover, Semi- 

 palmated Plover. 



475. Plumed Quail, 

 Knovi^n also as Gambel's Quail and Gam- 

 bel's Partridge. It is an inhabitant of New 

 Mexico, Arizona, Texas and Mexico, and 

 is very abundant in the two first and last 

 localities, being replaced east of the Rio 

 Pecos in Texas by another species, the 

 Cyrtonyx massena. It is a very beautiful 

 bird and is a representative of the game 

 birds of North America. 



The nest is a simple affair, consisting of 

 bits of grasses and leaf stems placed in a 

 depression scratched for the purpose. The 

 place usually selected is a secluded, moist 

 spot, fringed with tall grasses and weeds 

 and strewn about with aged and moss-cov- 

 ered logs. The usual nestful of eggs is from 

 ten to fifteen. Dr. Coues says that they 

 " cannot be distinguished from those of the 

 California Quail. They measure an inch 

 and a quarter in length by an inch in 

 breadth, and are almost pyramidal in shape, 

 the larger end flatfish and very broad, the 

 other narrow and pointed. The color is a 



buff or rich creamy, dotted and spotted all 



over with bright brown, and splashed here 



and there with large blotches of the same. " 



47G. Blue Quail, 



Called also the Blue Partridge and Scal- 

 ed Partridge. It is a native of lower Ari- 

 zona ; is found throughout the region of the 

 valley of the Rio Grande and other points 

 in proximity. It is also found in Mexico, 

 though how far south I cannot say. As 

 far as I am able to learn, the nest is com- 

 posed of the usual fragments of dried veg- 

 etation, such as grasses, twigs &c., and is 

 placed upon the ground in a sheltered posi- 

 tion. The eggs are of the usual number, 

 buff white, thickly specked with minute 

 dots of light brown and measure one and 

 one fifth by one inch. 



381. Black-head K-D Grosbeak. 



This bird is commonly found in the cen- 

 tral-western portions of the United States, 

 where it breeds more or less abundantly. 

 It is a handsome bird, lively in habits and 

 a general favorite. It is stated that the 

 nest is like that of our Rose-breasted Gros- 

 beak and the situation the same. Dr. 

 Cooper mentions a nest found in an alder 

 but few feet from the ground. Dr. Heer- 

 mann says that the nest is placed in bush- 

 es, and Mr. Merriam cites a nest in a small 

 tree, five feet from the ground. In all 

 these instances the composition and make- 



