GAMBEl/s QUAIL 75 



In inhabited regions, in places where cattle trails lead to water, the Gambel's 

 pretty foot prints call up pleasant pictures of morning procession of thirsty little 

 " black-helnieted " pedestrians, talking cheerfully as they go. For it seems 

 most at home about small farms, such as those cultivated by the Spanish- 

 Americans, which dot the narrow canyons and river valleys. 



Courtship. — Springtime in Arizona is most charming as the desert 

 plants burst into bloom with their profusion of many colors. The 

 new fernlike foliage of the mesquite mingles with dangling yellow 

 tassels. The long slender stems of the ocotillo are tipped with ver- 

 milion spikes. Even the lowly creosote bush is clouded with yellow 

 haze. The various chollas and the pricklypears are studded with 

 pink, yellow, or crimson flowers, and the little rainbow cactus blooms 

 by the roadside with a wealth of large magenta and yellow blos- 

 soms. Even the giant cactus supports a crown of white, and the 

 paloverde is the showiest of all, a great bouquet of brilliant yellow. 

 Then we may look for the trim figure of the cock quail, perched 

 on some low tree, bush, or stump, and listen to his challenging love 

 call. 



Major Bendire (1892) has described his courtship very well, as 

 follows : 



During the mating and breeding season, the former commencing usually 

 in the latter part of February, the latter about the first week in April and 

 occasionally later, according to the season, the male frequently utters a 

 call like yuk-kae-ja, yuk-kae-ja, each syllable distinctly articulated and the 

 last two somewhat drawn out. A trim, handsome, and proud-looking cock, 

 whose more somber-colored mate had a nest close by, used an old mesquite 

 stump, about 4 feet high, and not more than 20 feet from my tent, as his 

 favorite perch, and I had many excellent opportunities to watch him closely. 

 Standing perfectly erect, with his beak straight up in the air r his tail slightly 

 spread and wings somewhat drooping, he uttered this call in a clear strong 

 voice every few minutes for half an hour or so, or until disturbed by some- 

 thing, and this he repeated several times a day. I consider it a call of 

 challenge or of exultation, and it was taken up usually by any other male 

 in the vicinity at the time. During the mating season the males fight each 

 other persistently, and the victor defends his chosen home against intrusion 

 with much valor. It is a pleasing and interesting sight to watch the male 

 courting his mate, uttering at the time some low cooing notes, and strutting 

 around the coy female in the most stately manner possible, bowing his head 

 and making his obeisance to her. While a handsome bird at all times, he 

 certainly looks his best during this love-making period. 



Nesting. — My experience with the nesting habits of Gambel's 

 quail is limited to three nests found near Tucson, Ariz., in 1922. 

 On May 19 we were hunting through the mesquite forest, a large 

 tract of once heavy timber that had been much depleted by the 

 raids of Papago Indian woodchoppers. There were only a few 

 large trees left, some very large hackberry trees, which were more 

 or less scattered with many open spaces; but there was plenty of 



