﻿MEARNS 
  QUAIL. 
  63 
  

  

  an 
  abundant 
  and 
  troublesome 
  weed 
  in 
  the 
  South, 
  Avhere 
  it 
  often 
  throt- 
  

   tles 
  other 
  plants. 
  The 
  following 
  miscellaneous 
  seeds 
  Avere 
  found 
  

   among 
  their 
  food 
  : 
  

  

  Thistle 
  (Carduus 
  sp.). 
  Borage 
  (Amsinckia 
  sp.). 
  

   Wild 
  sunflower 
  (Helianthus 
  annuus). 
  Mallow 
  (Malva 
  rotimdifolia) 
  . 
  

  

  Coreopsis 
  (Coreopsis 
  coronaria). 
  Turkey 
  mullein 
  (Croton 
  setigerus). 
  

  

  Aster 
  (Aster 
  sp. 
  ). 
  Croton 
  (Croton 
  texensis). 
  

  

  Chamomile 
  (Anthemis 
  sp.). 
  Alfilaria 
  (Erodium 
  cicutarium). 
  

  

  Pigweed 
  (Amaranthus 
  sp.). 
  Spurge 
  (Euphorbia 
  sp.). 
  

   Gromwell 
  (Lithospermum 
  sp.). 
  

  

  Grass 
  seeds 
  have 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  quantity 
  in 
  the 
  crop 
  of 
  the 
  

   species, 
  but 
  panicum 
  seeds 
  have 
  been 
  recognized. 
  

  

  In 
  summing 
  up 
  the 
  economic 
  status 
  of 
  the 
  scaled 
  quail 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  

   noted 
  that 
  although 
  the 
  bird 
  is 
  a 
  desert 
  species, 
  it 
  comes 
  into 
  more 
  or 
  

   less 
  direct 
  relation 
  with 
  agriculture, 
  sometimes 
  feeding 
  upon 
  culti- 
  

   vated 
  land 
  and 
  about 
  farm 
  buildings. 
  Moreover, 
  half 
  of 
  its 
  food 
  

   consists 
  of 
  the 
  seeds 
  of 
  weeds. 
  Lastly, 
  it 
  is 
  highly 
  insectivorous, 
  

   fully 
  one-fourth 
  of 
  its 
  food 
  consisting 
  of 
  insects. 
  

  

  MEABNS 
  QUAIL. 
  

   (Cyrtonyx 
  montezumw 
  mearnsiM 
  

  

  The 
  pervading 
  colors 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  Mearns 
  quail 
  are 
  black, 
  white, 
  

   and 
  chestnut. 
  Its 
  thick 
  speckles 
  of 
  white 
  and 
  its 
  peculiar 
  shape 
  sug- 
  

   gest 
  a 
  miniature 
  guinea 
  hen. 
  The 
  species 
  is 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  table-lands 
  

   of 
  Mexico 
  from 
  the 
  City 
  of 
  Mexico 
  north 
  to 
  western 
  Texas, 
  New 
  Mex- 
  

   ico, 
  and 
  Arizona, 
  but 
  the 
  bird 
  considered 
  here 
  is 
  limited 
  to 
  the 
  

   northern 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  range. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  a 
  confiding 
  bird 
  and 
  either 
  from 
  excess 
  of 
  curiosity 
  or 
  from 
  

   stupidity 
  has 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  remain 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  to 
  be 
  killed 
  by 
  

   a 
  stick. 
  From 
  this 
  lack 
  of 
  suspicion 
  it 
  has 
  received 
  the 
  name 
  ' 
  fool 
  

   quail.' 
  It 
  affords 
  the 
  sportsman 
  with 
  a 
  dog 
  much 
  better 
  shooting 
  

   than 
  its 
  more 
  erratic 
  crested 
  relatives. 
  Grassy 
  or 
  bushy 
  cover 
  is 
  more 
  

   necessary 
  to 
  this 
  bird 
  than 
  to 
  the 
  scaled 
  quail 
  or 
  Gambel 
  quail. 
  

   Unlike 
  the 
  latter 
  species, 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  pack, 
  though 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  mi- 
  

   gratory. 
  Its 
  nesting 
  habits 
  are 
  not 
  well 
  known. 
  Bendire 
  describes 
  a 
  

   nest 
  found 
  in 
  Kinney 
  County, 
  Tex., 
  June 
  22, 
  1890. 
  It 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  

   a 
  depression 
  of 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  contained 
  10 
  eggs. 
  

  

  FOOD 
  HABITS. 
  

  

  The 
  food 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  Mearns 
  quail 
  are 
  not 
  well 
  known. 
  The 
  

   Biological 
  Survey 
  has 
  examined 
  the 
  contents 
  of 
  9 
  crops 
  and 
  stoni- 
  

   er 
  The 
  typical 
  Massena 
  quail 
  (Cyrtonyx 
  montezumce) 
  is 
  a 
  bird 
  of 
  the 
  moun- 
  

   tains 
  about 
  the 
  Mexican 
  table-land, 
  and 
  gives 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  paler 
  Mearns 
  quail 
  

   (C. 
  m. 
  mearnsi) 
  in 
  northern 
  Mexico 
  and 
  the 
  southwestern 
  United 
  States. 
  

  

  