MASSENA QUAIL III 
ter, alighting again within three feet of the nest, and 
not over six feet from me; then she walked away with 
her crest slightly erected, utering a low chuckling 
whistle, until lost to view behind a Spanish bayonet 
plant (Yucca) about thirty feet off. I was riding a 
rather unruly horse, and had to return about thirty 
yards, to tie him to a yucca, before I should examine 
the nest. This was placed in a slight depression, pos- 
sibly dug out by some animal, the top of the nest being 
on a level with the earth around it. It was well lined 
with fine stalks of wire-grass almost exclusively, the 
cavity being about five inches in diameter and two 
inches deep. At the back, next to the grass, it was 
slightly arched over, and the overhanging blades of 
grass hid it entirely from sight. The nest was more 
carefully made than the average bobwhite’s nest, and 
very nicely concealed.” 
The food of the Massena quail, in western Texas and 
New Mexico, appears to consist of small bulbs, to se- 
cure which the birds often dig or scratch out holes to 
the depth of two inches. In the mountains they also 
eat acorns, mountain laurel, tubers of nut grass, cedar 
and other berries. 
The nest is likely to be built on a hillside, sometimes 
well hidden, and often sunk quite deeply in the ground. 
The eggs seem to run from 8 to Io in number. They 
are pure white in color, and, while often glossy, are 
sometimes more or less rough and granulated. 
As already stated, the Massena quail is scarcely pur- 
