INTRODUCTION 5 



Grouse). However, in the case of certain birds which are represented 

 in California by two or more subspecies, such as the valley and the 

 mountain quails and the "blue" grouses, our knowledge of the birds 

 has led us to believe that there are no important differences in the 

 behavior of the different races, and we have consequently combined 

 the general accounts under that of the more widel}^ distributed race. 

 For example, in the account of the Valley Quail the habits of the 

 California and Catalina Island quails are to be considered as covered. 

 Whenever a bird in hand cannot be identified by the use of the 

 ' ' key ' ' or does not fit any of the descriptions, the specimen should be 

 sent at once to some natural history museum for identification. Such 

 a bird may be a representative of a rare species or of one new to the 

 state, and so of particular value to science. The California Museum 

 of Vertebrate Zoology stands ready at all times to receive and identify 

 such specimens. 



Joseph Grinnell, 

 Harold C. Bryant, 

 Tracy I. Storer. 

 Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, 

 University of California, 



Berkeley, September 15, 1916. 



