120 LAND BIRDS 
they themselves are not much larger than a good-sized 
beetle. Although so capable and independent, they are 
constantly attended by both parents until the down has 
merged into fully developed feathers. Then the gregari- 
ous habits of the grouse blood assert themselves, and by 
September 1 all the broods of that district band to- 
gether to the number of several hundred individuals, and 
remain so throughout the fall and winter. This is the 
harvest time of the hunters and the season of unrest for 
the birds. In the early autumn mornings in the stubble 
of the field and the underbrush of the cations, you may 
hear their plaintive whistle, “‘ who-are-you,” questioning 
whether friend or foe is astir. 
294a. VALLEY PARTRIDGE. — Lophortyx californicus 
vallicola. 
Famity: The Grouse, Partridges, Quails, ete. 
Length: 9.50. 
Adults: Similar to the California partridge ; upper parts grayish ; sides 
olive; crest short and tipped forward. 
Young: Breast gray, marked with wedge-shaped black spots; belly 
faintly barred dark and light gray; upper parts striped brown and 
white. 
Downy Young: Upper parts white, washed with rusty and mottled with 
dark brown; under parts plain dull whitish. 
Geographical Distribution: Pacific coast region from Southern California 
to Oregon ; through upper and lower Sonoran zones. 
Breeding Range: The interior valleys between the humid coast belt and 
the Sierra Nevada. 
Breeding Season: April and May. 
Nest: A slight depression in ground, under hedge, bush, or brush-heap. 
Eggs: Generally 10 to 12; buffy, thickly spotted with shades of brown. 
Size 1.23 X 0.94. 
So closely allied are the California partridge and the 
Valley Partridge that only by direct comparison of the 
