14 



PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 15 



water tubs and barrels, making themselves at home in the dooryard and in 

 the trees over the honse. One was seen in a live oak over the house eating 

 ripe mistletoe berries. The same conditions prevailed at our subsequent visit 

 in 1920-1921, for William Nicholson, who had succeeded W. B. McCleary, 

 I)rided himself on his handsome covey. After coming to the cattle taid<s for 

 water in the morning, the Quail would scatter through the mesquite to feed 

 during the day. The thorny catsclaw seemed to be one of their favorite roost- 

 ing trees. Nine miles below, at the foot of the slope from the mountains near 

 Continental— 2,900 feet altitude— on August 15-19, 1918, Howell found the 

 quail common, "both adults in pairs and families of various ages, the youngest 

 being the size of towhees." 



At Eosemont (4,700 feet) on January 17, 1928, where a covey of nine was 

 noted by Taylor, two took shelter in a dense growth of flat-leafed cactus, one 

 iciiuiining in tlie protection of the bush until he was close at hand \vlH'n, with 

 a shari) whin-, it flew off. The others of the covey were sighted in the pro- 

 tection of a small mesquite. The same day two others were seen by Taylor 

 on the Sonoita-Vail highway. 



Cyrtonyx montezumae mearnsi. Mearns Quail 



Found several times by Bendire, in August, 1872, "in the foothills and 

 canyons of the Santa Rita, Patagonia, and Iluachuca Mountains" while he 

 was scouting after hostile Indians wdien, as he naively remarks, lie had no 

 time to study their habits. Specimens were taken by Nelson June 7 and 25, 

 1884, at Gardner's Ranch, and he found them not uncommon in July in the 

 live oak belt below the lower limit of the pines, the summer range being just 

 above that of the Gambel Quail, the two overlapping when the Mearns de- 

 scends in winter. In fact, the Mearns, Gambel, and Scaled quails have all 

 been found by R. D. Lusk at the mouth of Madera Canyon. In 1913, Bailey 

 was told that "fool quail" were common in the mountains, and in 1918, Howell 

 was told by Shorb that a few were still to be found in the mouth of Madera 

 Canyon. 



Meleagris gallopavo merriami. Merriam Turkey 



On June 15, 1884, Bendire reports. Sl('j)li('ns took a probably incomplete 

 set of nine fresh eggs, about five miles south of Cireatervillo on the east side 

 of the Santa Ritas, in the oak timber, just where the first scattering pines 

 commenced, at an altitude of perhaps 5,000 feet. The photograph shows the 

 nest "close to the trunk of an oak tree on a hillside, ncai- which a good-sized 

 yucca grew, covering, apparently, a part of the nest." In 1918, Bailey was 

 told that a few Turkeys still ranged over the east slope of the mountains but 

 Avere never seen on the west slope. 



Columba fasciata fasciata. Band-tailed Pigeou 

 One was taken by Nelson. July 6, 1884, at Gardner's Ranch. A number 



