QUAILOLOGY - ORNITHOLOGY 



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Should an accident befall the female, which sometimes unfortun- 

 ately occurs, the male takes the whole duty of incubation upon 

 himself. If the nest should be disturbed before the setting is 

 complete it is usually abandoned, but should incubation have com- 

 menced they will return and hatch their brood. 



The young birds leave the nest as soon as hatched and are often 

 seen with fragments of the shell still clinging to them, and fol- 

 low the mother bird. Upon being disturbed the young, at the 

 warning note from the parent bird, scatter in all directions and 

 are very hard to be found, owing to their color, so near that of 

 the ground, dry grass and leaves. As soon as the young birds 

 are able to fly they are taken in charge by the male and the hen 

 proceeds to lay a second complement. 



They are never to be found in large flocks, each covey gener- 

 ally keeping to itself and rarely moves far from the place where 

 it was raised except on account of change of feed in the fall. 



The mating season begins in April when the covey, or such as 

 remain, begin to break up, each pair selecting a suitable nesting 

 site. 



During the past five years thousands of quail have been ship- 

 ped from Kansas, Nebraska, and other V/estern States, to New 

 England, and liberated to replenish the stock of resident birds 

 which was almost exhausted. They thrive well. 



Bob White, male and female, natural 



size. 



