VALLEY QUAIL 65 



Plumages. — In the small chick of this species the front half of 

 the crown and sides of the head are " ochraceous-tawn y " ; a broad 

 band of " russet," bordered with black, extends from the center of 

 the crown to the hind neck, and there is an auricular stripe of the 

 same color; the rest of the upper parts are from " ochraceous-buff " 

 to " warm buff," striped, banded, or blotched with black ; the chin 

 and throat are white, and the rest of the underparts are grayish 

 white, suffused with buff on the breast. 



As with all young quail and grouse, the juvenal plumage comes in 

 while the chick is still very small, the wings and scapulars sprouting 

 first, so that the young birds can fly before they are half grown. 

 In the full juvenal plumage, the forehead is " hair brown," the 

 crown and hind neck " wood brown," and the chin and throat " drab 

 gray " ; the feathers of the back, wing coverts, and scapulars are 

 from " hair brown " to " clay color," with median stripes of buffy 

 white, broadest on the scapulars, peppered with black and tipped or 

 banded near the end with black ; the tertials are from " sayal brown " 

 to " cinnamon," peppered with black, and bordered on the inner 

 edge with a broad band of black and a broad edge of " pinkish buff " ; 

 the rump is grayish buff, barred with dusky and whitish ; the tail is 

 from " drab " to grayish buff, tipped with " cinnamon," and pep- 

 pered and barred with blackish brown; the underparts are grayish 

 white, barred with dusky, more buffy, and marked with triangular 

 whitish spots on the chest ; the head crest is " warm sepia." The 

 sexes are alike. 



A complete postjuvenal molt, except for the primary coverts and 

 the outer pairs of primaries, begins before the young bird has at- 

 tained its full growth. The time varies, of course, with the date of 

 hatching, but it takes place between August and October. The last 

 of the juvenal plumage is seen on the head and neck. This molt pro- 

 duces the first winter plumage, which is practically indistinguish- 

 able from the adult, except for the outer pairs of juvenal primaries 

 and primary coverts, which are retained until the next postnuptial 

 molt. The sexes are now different. 



Young birds and adults have a partial prenuptial molt, confined to 

 the head and neck, early in spring, and a complete molt late in 

 summer and early in fall. Hybrids between this species and gam- 

 oeli and between this and picta have been recorded, where the ranges 

 of the species come together. 



Food. — These quail are very regular in their feeding habits. When 

 they have found a good feeding place they resort to it day after day, 

 often traveling long distances on foot and not flying unless forced 

 to. They travel in flocks at all times except during the nesting sea- 

 son, when they are paired. Formerly they came to the watering 



