QUAILS, PARTRIDGES, GROUSE 



(296) Cyrtonyx montezumae 

 mearnsi Nelson 



(Gr., bent nail). 



MEARN'S QUAIL; MASSENA 

 QUAIL; FOOL QUAIL. Bill very 

 stout and compressed. Toes short 

 but the claws greatly developed. 

 Crest broad, flat and full-feathered. 

 Plumage quite unique as shown, the 

 male being the upper bird. The 

 black and white markings on the 

 head are of feathers having a velvety 

 texture. L., 9.00; W.,4.75; T., 2.00; 

 Tar., 1.20. Nest — A grass-lined de- 

 pression, concealed in clumps of 

 weeds or grass; six to twelve pure 

 white eggs, 1.25 x .95, not as pointed 

 as those of the Bob-White. 



Range — Arid Upper Sonoran and 

 Transition zones from central Ariz., 

 N. Mex. and central Tex. south to 

 central Mexico. 



In fall, several families join to form large coveys, which 

 roam about feeding upon various weed seeds, grain and 

 berries, remaining banded until the next spring unless, 

 unfortunately, some hunter and his dog may have discovered 

 and annihilated them. In New England the combination 

 of dog, gun, and ice storms have made the quail almost 

 only a memory, but in the south and middle west, where 

 they have more room and not so many gunners per square 

 foot, they are still abundant. When a covey is approached 

 they all squat in the stubble, trusting to escape detection — 

 a thing impossible when the man is armed with a good bird 

 dog. When kicked out of cover, all rumble off in different 

 directions, but in straight lines presenting easy marks. 



Not so with the western quail. They have good strong 

 legs to which they intrust their safety rather than by hiding. 

 The man who hunts them gets a lot of hunting and tramping, 

 but not such a great many quail. Gambel's Quail and the 

 Blue or Scaled Quail, both found in western Texas, are good 

 examples of running quail. That peculiar species, the 



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