88 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING 
and water courses along those slopes were their 
favorite resorts, I have never seen nor heard of a 
covey of these quail down in the cultivated fields of the 
valleys. Here, at least, they prefer to live exclusively 
on the brushcovered hillsides.” 
On the other hand, we have known of cases in Cali- 
fornia where a brood of quail came regularly every 
evening to drink from the fountain immediately in 
front of a ranch house. In certain parts of southern 
California the quail has found the orange trees safe 
roosting places, and in the evening comes down from 
the brush-covered hills to the orchards. 
In Lower California, Mr. A. W. Anthony found the 
valley partridge very common in the mountains up to 
an altitude of about 9,000 feet. 
He adds: “Both in southern and Lower California 
I was told by the Indians and native Mexicans that 
during very dry seasons the valley quail do not nest, 
but remain in flocks during the entire summer. This 
statement I was able to verify by personal observation 
during the summer of 1887. ‘These birds were seen 
by me in large flocks throughout the spring and sum- 
mer 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 in- 
sure 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. 
The call notes of this sub-species are quite varied, fre- 
