92 The Partridge Family 



This comparatively large and exceedingly hand- 

 some species is not highly esteemed by sportsmen 

 in general, owing to its true value not being well 

 understood. In certain portions of California, and 

 notably in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, when 

 abundant it affords capital sport, while upon the 

 table it is a delicacy not to be forgotten. As a 

 rule, one, or at most two, broods are found on a 

 favorite ground, the birds seldom, if ever, flocking 

 like some of their relatives. O. pictus prefers 

 moist districts and a generous rainfall. It is a 

 runner, and in comparison with Bob-white, by 

 no means so satisfactory a bird for dogs to work 

 on. After the first flush the covey is apt to 

 scatter widely and the beating up of single birds 

 is a slow and frequently a wearying task. On 

 the wing, its size and moderate speed render it 

 a rather easy mark. 



The call of the male is suggestive of the crow- 

 ing of a young bantam, while the rallying cry of 

 scattered birds is not unlike the yelping of young 

 wild turkeys. The female is a watchful mother, 

 leading and calling her brood like a bantam 

 hen, and the young are shy, alert things, hiding 

 promptly and as closely as young Bob-whites 

 when the alarm note is sounded. The nest is a 

 grass-lined depression in the ground, well hidden 

 under some convenient shelter, frequently a log 

 or bush or a clump of grass. The eggs vary in 



