66 BULLETIN" 16 2, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



places in immense flocks of hundreds, but now in flocks of 30 or 40, 

 or aggregations of two or three families. Their feeding hours are 

 for an hour or two after sunrise and an hour or two before sun- 

 set. During the middle of the day they congregate near the drink- 

 ing places or rest in the shade of trees or bushes. While feeding, one 

 bird acts as sentinel or guard until relieved by others in turn. 

 Grinnell, Bryant, and Storer (1918) write: 



The Valley and California quails are believed to be more exclusively vege- 

 tarian than any other of our game birds, save those of the pigeon family. 

 The United States Bureau of Biological Survey, in an examination of 619 

 stomachs (representing both subspecies), found that only about 3 per cent of 

 the food consisted of animal matter. The remaining 97 per cent was vegetable 

 material and consisted of 2.3 per cent fruit, 6.4 per cent grain, about 25 per 

 cent grass and other foliage, and 62.5 per cent seeds. The animal food com- 

 prised chiefly insects, and of these, ants were most frequently present. Some 

 beetles, bugs, caterpillars, grasshoppers, flies, spiders, " thousand-leggers," and 

 snails were also found in the stomachs examined. A case is cited by Beal of 

 a brood of young quail feeding extensively on black scale. 



Fruit evidently does not form any important part of the food of the quail, as 

 it was found in only about one-sixth of the stomachs and then only in very 

 small quantities. Damage is sometimes done to grapes, but this is not shown 

 clearly by examination of stomach contents. Beal mentions two cases where 

 1,000 and 5,000 quail, respectively, had been seen feeding upon grapes in vine- 

 yards. Under such circumstances severe loss was undoubtedly sustained; 

 but these are exceptional instances. Florence A. Merriam states that on the 

 ranch of Major Merriam at Twin Oaks, San Diego County, quail were in 1889 

 so abundant as to be a severe pest. For several years previously great flocks 

 of them came down the canons to the vineyard, " where they destroyed 

 annually from 20 to 30 tons of fruit." A report comes from the Fresno dis- 

 trict to the effect that grape growers are occasionally troubled by the birds 

 scattering the drying raisins from the trays. 



Behavior. — The movements and actions of valley quail seem to me 

 strikingly like those of our eastern bobwhites, except that the}' are 

 less inclined to fly or to hide and more inclined to run. When 

 alarmed or forced to fly they jump into the air with a similar whir 

 of wings and dash away with an equal burst of speed, scaling down 

 into the nearest cover on stiff, down-curved wings. If they alight 

 on the ground, they do not stop, but continue running at terriiic 

 speed, their long, strong legs fairly twinkling in a hazy blur; it 

 seems as if they continued to fly along the ground almost as fast as 

 they flew in the air. On the ground their movements are quick, 

 alert, and graceful; their trim and pretty little bodies are held in a 

 semierect attitude, leaning forward a little as they run, with the 

 crest held forward. They are most attractive in appearance and 

 most winning in their confiding ways. 



John J. Williams (1903) made some very interesting observations 

 on the use of sentinels by valley quail ; his article is well worth read- 



