UNITED STATES. 



note§ however one good mark, viz* the want of the 

 " naked skin round the eyes, which is found in the 

 partridge and not in the quail. The Pennsylvania 

 bird) Called partridge, wanting this mark, is there- 

 fore a quail, and properly so called in New York 

 and the more* northern states. * 



Dr. Mitchell proposes to call this bird the New 

 England or Virginian quail, to distinguish it from 

 the partridge and quail of Old England, which are 

 very difFei^ent creatures from the American bird. 



The tetrao Marylandus is not found in Nova Sco- 

 tia. ^ 



The quail of Europe is the tetrao coturnix of Lin- 

 nseus, and is not found in the United States. 



It lays spotted eggs, to the number of six or seven : 

 they are much given to fighting ; and are remarka- 

 ' ble for the hotness of their bodies. 



The lanius excubitor^ or gy^eat shrike bird^ of the 

 United States, adopts an odd stratagem, in order to 

 decoy prey within its power. 



Mr. Heckew^ldert accidentally observing, that 

 several grasshoppers were stuck upon the sharp 

 thorny branches of some trees, enquired of ^. person, 

 who lived close by, into the cause of this phenome- 

 non, and was informed, that they were stuck there 

 by this bird, which is called by the English in Ame- 

 rica nine killer. On further enquiry he was led to 

 suppose, that this was an instinctive stratagem adopt- 



* IMr. Peale's MS. Lectures on Nat. Hist, 

 t Trails, Amer. Phil. Soc. vol, iv. 



