ORXITHOLOCY 



YOUNG VALLEY QUAIL 



recognized the notes of other 

 feathered friends whom I knew wei e 

 nowhere about. "Ja-cob, ja-cob, Ja- 

 cob," called the bird, mimicking to per- 

 fection the large California wood- 

 pecker who dwells in the Arroya Seco 

 not far away. The "ja-cob" note was 

 followed by trills and warbles all the 

 mocker's own, but not long could he 

 keep to an original song. A shrill note 

 of the California shrike followed and 

 I was reminded of a morning when, 

 hearing the sweet song of one of these 

 birds, I rushed to the door only to find 

 it was "my" mockingbird trying his 

 voice. Most people think of the shrike 

 as only having a shrill, most uncanny 

 call, but in reality he has many notes 

 and a song that is a low warble which 

 is often sweeter than that of the fa- 

 mous songster whom in color he re- 

 sembles. Not often do I hear the real 

 song of the shrike. Hence my anxiety 

 to catch every note of it, and my dis- 

 gust to find that I had again been 

 "fooled." However, there is consola- 

 tion in knowing that I am not the only 

 one who has been tricked by this 

 wiley bird. More than one sleepy mor- 

 tal has been aroused in the dead of 

 night and gone out to see what was 

 disturbing the chickens, only to find 

 it was the saucy mockingbird, who, 

 having inveigled his victim out of bed, 

 pealed forth his song in sardonic glee 

 at his deceit. Verily, I believe that 

 this "mocker" is also a "joker," could 

 we understand his language we would 



find his enjoyment of pranks played 

 on other birds, and mortals, very keen. 



There were still other notes of the 

 shrike, this versatile singer used as his 

 song rippled forth, and another call 

 of California woodpecker he also 

 gave. It was a gutteral, rasping sound 

 that I have often heard them make 

 as they hammered acorns into a rotten 

 tree. 



But the shrike and the woodpecker 

 w T ere not the only birds that my song- 



CALIFORNIA VALLEY QUAIL 



