522 



GAME BIBDS OF CALIFORNIA 



ments concerning the average and extreme times of nesting, and 

 numbers of eggs, can safely be made. Table 16, presenting Sharp's 

 observations (all but two of which pertain to Escondido, San Diego 

 County), includes almost if not all of the nests found by him during 

 the years specified. This table may therefore be taken as exhibiting 

 the numbers of eggs laid by Valley Quail in one locality under the 

 varying conditions encountered during a particular series of years. 

 The other table (15), presenting data derived from miscellaneous 

 sources, is of such a nature as to lead to averages different from those 

 actually occurring in a state of nature. Data cited from sets in collec- 

 tions pertain to selected, often maximum, sets, which are ordinarily 

 preferred by the egg collector. Small sets, of ten eggs or less, are often 

 passed over by collectors and no record kept of them, even though 

 they may be complete. Incubation does not commence until a set is 

 nearly, or quite complete, so that in the case of a small set, only by 

 examining the contents of one of the eggs and finding that incubation 

 had actually commenced, would it be safe to assert that the set was 

 complete. It is possible that certain of the small sets listed ''fresh" in 

 the tables were incomplete ; if this is true the tendency would be to 

 balance the effect of the extra large sets listed from oological col- 

 lections. 



Sharp's observations give 13 as the average number in a set of 

 Valley Quail eggs at his locality, while for the whole range of this 

 race within the state the average is 14.6 ; for the California Quail the 

 average is 16.3, but this is based on a considerably smaller number 

 of sets, and is undoubtedly due to selection having been exercised 

 by the collectors, as particularly mentioned in some instances. For 

 both races of quail, taking into account both tables 15 and 16, the 

 average number of eggs laid is 14.2. 



