THE CALIFORNIAN QUAILS- I 23 



California I was told by the Indians and native Mexicans 

 that during very dry seasons the Valley Quail did not nest, 

 but remained in large flocks during the entire summer. This 

 statement I was able to verify by personal observations during 

 the summer of 1887. These birds were seen by me in large 

 flocks throughout the spring and summer months, and only 

 two or three broods of young were noticed. Birds taken 

 during April, May, and June showed but little development of 

 the ovaries. Should the winter rains, however, be sufficient 

 to insure an abundance of seeds and grasses, the coveys begin 

 to break up early in March, and from every hill in the land 

 the loud challenge of the male is heard. ... By far the 

 most common call at all seasons is one resembling ' ca-ra-ho,' 

 repeated four or five times, and the accent shifted from one 

 syllable to another as suits the fancy of the performer." 



Mr. William Proud, writing from Butte County, Californiii, 

 informs Captain Bendire as follows : — " In early seasons they 

 begin to pair in the last week of February, but the time 

 varies somewhat according to the season. During this period 

 there is considerable fighting among the males for the favour 

 of the coveted female. This is kept up until all are suit- 

 ably mated and the nesting-season arrives. This usually 

 begins here about the last Aveek in INIarch, when the pairs 

 scatter among the shrubbery along the banks of creeks 

 and in adjacent ravines, along hedgerows and brush fences, 

 and on the borders of cultivated fields. The earliest nest I 

 ever found was on March 15th, and on April 15th I met 

 young birds probably a couple of days old. I consider four- 

 teen eggs to be about the average number laid by these birds, 

 and have found as many as twenty-four in a nest. The large 

 sets I attribute to other hens laying in the nest, probably young 

 birds which have failed to make preparation for their own eggs. 

 On May 21 my dog pointed a Valley Partridge on a nest 

 which contained twenty-two eggs, and every one hatched. 



'' During incubation the male is very attentive and watchful, 



