90 Partridges and Quails of North America. 



even to the Vancouver Islands (British CoUmibiaj, where it has 

 been lately introduced and thorou,L;hly acclimatised. There is 

 something" of a (h^ouse m the shape of this J'artridge; even its 

 egg's are a miniature of the Ruffled (Irouse, only smaller. 



'J'he San Pedro Mountain Ouail (Oreortyx pictus con- 

 finis) differs only in colour from the . pictus, and, being found 

 exclusively in the San ]*edro Mountains of Lower California, 

 must be classed as a Alexican bird. 



in.— LOFIIORTVX. 



The Lophortyx or Helmet Quail is a bird with an 

 elegant crest recurved helmet-wise. There are several species 

 in that genus differing, as in the Coliiius, by the colour of tlie 

 plumage only. 



The California Valley Quail (Lophortyx californica) 

 is known now all over the world, and has been introduced and 

 intensively propagated on the large landed estates of England, 

 France and Germany, as it is considered a splendid game bird. 

 Though monogamous, it is also apt to be polygamous, as has 

 been proven by the experiments conducted at the California 

 State. Game Farm at Hayward. The Superintendent, I am told, 

 used to mate one male to hve or six females with very g"ood 

 results. But in the open country 1 have always found the 

 Valley Quail monogamous; captivity may probably thwart their 

 natural proclivity, or may be the contact with civilization has 

 obliterated, at least partially, their praiseworthy hdelity. In 

 California, his native land, this Quail l)reeds quite early in 

 March, laying, on the ground, _'o or 30 eggs. The incubation 

 lasts 23 days, and the young develop very quickly, and are full 

 grown at three months old. 



To raise successfully Californian X'alley Quails in captivity 

 animal food is of ]')rime necessity. The eggs are generally 

 incubated by Bantam hens or Japanese Silkies, and the young- 

 chicks fed. for the first two or three weeks, on millet, canary 

 seed, and dried weevils imported from China. I prefer them to 

 ants' eggs, pretty hard to get here, and by all means to the 

 gentles or maggots, as they are clean and odourless, except for 



