Quail

French scientists last week reported what they claim is the first cross-species transfer of behavior by transplanting brain tissue--resulting in domestic chickens whose calls resemble that of the Japanese quail. Neurologists from the National Scientific Research Center and College of France wrote in Science magazine that they implanted tissue taken from regions of the quail brain believed to control its call into the brains of five chicken fetuses. The transplants only survived for two weeks.

Phil Mickelson and Nick Watney wound up tied for the lead Saturday in the Wells Fargo Championship, minus much separation from the rest of the field. Mickelson hit a shot out-of-bounds on the 15th hole and hit another shot that struck a spectator in the head, costing him three shots over the last four holes at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C., in his round of one-over 73. Watney hit a semi-shank with a six-iron on the par-three 17th, took double bogey and had to settle for a 71. It felt like a small consolation that they were tied at eight-under 208, one shot ahead of George McNeill , who had his share of trouble down the stretch for a 72. Instead of pulling away from the pack, their mistakes in a wild final hour allowed a dozen players to get within three shots of the lead.

By transplanting brain parts from a quail into a 2-day-old chicken embryo, a La Jolla scientist has produced a baby chicken that sings like a quail. The study shows that baby chicks do not learn how to sing from their parents, but get a specific signal from the brain, biologist Evan Balaban of the Neurosciences Institute reported in the March 4 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Walter El Nagar is the chef spearheading Barbershop Ristorante Italiano , a pop-up restaurant currently running in the former A.O.C. space on West 3rd Street. El Nagar, born in Milan, formerly worked at La Botte Ristorante in Santa Monica. His Barbershop menu mixes traditional Italian technique with molecular gastronomy and incorporates ingredients and dishes such as grass-fed, dry-aged beef with bitter chocolate annd cayenne pepper; Santa Barbara spot prawns with house-salted caviar; pasta with meat ragu slow-cooked for 24 hours; and tequila meringue with lime cream, blood orange-Cointreau sorbet and smoked salt.

Feral cats like quail. So does San Francisco supervisor Leslie Katz, who introduced a resolution at the Board of Supervisors meeting here Monday to name the California quail the city's official bird. The resolution was inspired by a local organization's effort to bring the city's quail population back from the brink of extinction. The organization, known as Save the Quail, says cats that roam in Golden Gate Park are the reason for the quail decline.

President-elect George Bush on Wednesday sent cryptic word that he had bagged "several" quail in three days of hunting on the 10,000-acre Lazy F Ranch near here. "They've had some success, but not as much as they've had in past years," Bush spokesman Stephen Hart told reporters. With that, the curtain came down on news of the vice president's vacation. Just how many birds Bush shot--and whether he ate them, as planned--was not announced.

ARIZONA A Taste of Coronado restaurant is in the Coronado Vineyards in Willcox. Chef-owner Zach Hoffman has created a small, but varied menu that includes meat, fish and pasta. Two very special treats were the grilled quail and grilled duck. A Taste of Coronado, 2909 E. Country Club Drive, Willcox, Ariz.; (520) 384-2993, http://www.coronadovineyards.com . Entrees from $15. Donna Prysi, Rolling Hills Estates

The quarry of a camera and a curious eye is quail, but it seems an unproductive quest. There are no signs of quail anywhere. The silence is broken only by the low hum of a thousand bees working the blooming sage, a few birds chirping, a rooster crowing far down the valley, the wind. "This is a good sign," Mike Mathiot says. "Uh, how's that?" a guest asks, skeptically. "If you could see a quail this time of day at this time of year, we'd be in trouble. They're supposed to be on eggs."

Columns of smoke spiraling over the land in this region of arid ranches and stark volcanic mountains were a nagging signal to cattlemen that Wayne Shifflett was at it again. As manager of the embattled Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, Shifflett has spent a decade ripping out miles of fences and dozens of corrals, and setting fire to thousands of acres of shimmering grasslands that once provided excellent pasture for cattle.

Amid the lupine, lilacs and California live oak of Golden Gate Park, a glorious swath of green in this densely populated city, the official state bird is vanishing. The California quail, a slightly comic bird with a plump profile and an elegant topknot, once roamed the park's 1,013 acres. More than 1,500 quail lived here at the turn of the century.

The Quail Motorcycle Gathering When: 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday Where: Quail Lodge Resort & Golf Club, 8000 Valley Greens Drive, Carmel Cost: $65 per person, $15 for children 12 and younger (includes gourmet lunch and live music) Info: http://www.quaillodgeevents.com

Vintage motorcycles may rattle. They may shimmy, shake or stall, but decades-old machines are unparalleled in their character and artistry — and, for one day this weekend, they are also on display for the public. Almost 200 vintage bikes will dot the green during Saturday's Quail Motorcycle Gathering at the Quail Lodge Golf Club in Carmel. Topping the list of must-sees are the Bathing Suit Bike, which Rollie Free rocketed to 150 miles per hour (and a motorcycle speed record) in 1948, wearing a helmet, bathing suit and borrowed shoes.

Lucas Glover had gone 41 tournaments and nearly two years since winning the U.S. Open for his last victory. His win Sunday in the Wells Fargo Championship at Charlotte, N.C., was every bit as demanding. Glover closed with three tough pars on the rugged finishing stretch at Quail Hollow for a three-under-par 69. Then he faced a playoff with close friend and former Clemson teammate Jonathan Byrd , who made a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole to catch him. Glover kept the tournament in suspense to the very end. After Byrd took bogey with a poor chip from the hazard, Glover had two putts from 25 feet for the win. He left the first one four feet short and still above the hole, then knocked that in for his third career win. Byrd, who started the final round with a one-shot lead as he tried for his third win in seven months, closed with a 72. Even so, he finished with two clutch pars and one dramatic birdie to catch Glover and force the playoff.

ARIZONA A Taste of Coronado restaurant is in the Coronado Vineyards in Willcox. Chef-owner Zach Hoffman has created a small, but varied menu that includes meat, fish and pasta. Two very special treats were the grilled quail and grilled duck. A Taste of Coronado, 2909 E. Country Club Drive, Willcox, Ariz.; (520) 384-2993, http://www.coronadovineyards.com . Entrees from $15. Donna Prysi, Rolling Hills Estates

Reporting from Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Tiger Woods made better use of the fairway during Wednesday morning's final practice round for the Players Championship, putting just one ball in the water on the same TPC Sawgrass back nine where he had dunked five one day earlier. Woods found serious trouble only at the par-four 14th hole, hooking his drive into the water and hanging his second attempt out to the right. With his ball perhaps six inches off the cart path, a planned hook curled too much and plopped into a greenside bunker.

Billy Mayfair's last tournament win still earns him a note of recognition in golf annals as the only man to defeat Tiger Woods in a PGA Tour playoff. That was in 1998. Now the 23-year veteran can earn another annotation if he can hold on through one more round of the Quail Hollow Championship and become the first Monday qualifier in 24 years to hoist the trophy. "I'm trying not to think about it," Mayfair said Saturday after a one-under-par 71 widened his lead to two shots over Phil Mickelson and Davis Love III. "But obviously [when]

An animal protection group criticized President-elect George Bush Tuesday for spending the holidays hunting, saying the way to create a kinder, gentler nation would be to "shoot clay pigeons, not live quail." The Fund for Animals urged Bush to stop hunting quail and sent him a telegram reminding him that the birds, like other animals, feel pain and want to live. The group sent the telegram in response to comments Bush made Monday in Beeville, Tex.

Glad to hear that President Bush was given a clean bill of health. Could be his problem is purely dietary--not enough broccoli and too much quail. A.A. ARACE, Fullerton

The second step in Tiger Woods' post-scandal chapter turned out to be a short one. Maybe even a step backward. Woods missed the cut for just the sixth time in his professional career, stumbling to a seven-over-par 79 at the Quail Hollow Championship that left him far down the scoreboard and set a handful of personal worsts. Coupled with Thursday's 74, Woods' two-day total of nine-over 153 was his highest as a pro — one more than when he missed the cut at the 2006 U.S. Open.