and rim ur walk with tlu- budy in a .stitT horizontal position; ihc-y run witli great 

 swiftness, and are also strong and vigorous in the wings. 



During the extrcinc droughts of summer, these birds resort to the gravelly 

 chamiel of brooks and siiallow streams, where they can wade about in search 

 of a(|uatic insects. At the close ot sununer they generally descend to the sea- 

 shore in small flocks, seldom more than ten or twelve being seen together. They 

 are then more serene and silent, as well as difllcult to approach- 

 In summer the Killdeer is found in Xorth America as far north as New- 

 foundland and Manitoba. In winter it migrates southward, wintering from the 

 lower Mississippi X'alley and Virginia to Central and South America. 



The Killdeer has become very rare in New England, so that in many states 

 Wilson's opening sentence is no longer true. 



Mountain Quail {Oreorty.v /^icta plcta) 



Range. — Pacific coast from southwestern Washington south to Monterey 

 County, California. 



All our American quail are heaulitul, but this superb denizen of the moun- 

 tain sides bears away the palm. Its elegant form, rich coloration, its long, nod- 

 ding black plumes, its brown gorget, and its alert carriage lend the bird an air 

 of rare distinction. Our plumed knight of the mountains loves not the low- 

 country with its dry watercourses, its heat and dust, but chooses for his perma- 

 nent home the mountain valleys and hillsides with their pure air and numerous 

 streams. This quail, with its two varieties, is strictly limited to the west coast 

 where it ranges from Lower California into Washington. Formerly it was 

 abundant over most of its range, and it is yet numerous in many localities. In 

 Oregon it used to be trapped in great numbers, and as long ago as 1880 was 

 commonly exposed in the city markets in crates containing twenty or more. 

 Even the market men decried the practice, but nevertheless cheerfully sold the 

 birds at three dollars per dozen. A sad sight it was to see these beautiful crea- 

 tures captive and exposed for sale. My own experience with the mountain quail 

 dates back many years. All the covies I saw in California and Oregon were 

 comparatively small, always less than ten, and the bird appears rarely, if ever, 

 to associate in great gatherings composed of several or more independent covies. 

 as does the valley and Gambel's quail. \\'hen in their ordinary mountain haunts, 

 plumed quail are tame enough, altogether too tame for their own safety, but I 

 am told that where much pursued by sportsmen with or without dogs, they 

 rapidlv lose their unsophisticated ways and learn to take good care of themselves- 



949 



