THE VALLEY PARTRIDGE. 27 



a covey of these Quail down in the cultivated fields of the valleys. Here, at 

 least, they prefer to live exclusively on the brush-covered hillsides." 



That the Valley Partridge differs very much in its general habits in certain 

 localities has long been known to me, still I did not for an instant suppose 

 that I would meet with this species in a place like Fort Klamath, Oregon. 

 Anyone at all acquainted with these birds would certainly not look for them 

 in this locality, and I was greatly surprised to find a covey here in Novem- 

 ber, 1882. The post, situated in the upper Klamath Valley, is nearly sur- 

 rounded by large pine forests. In winter the snowfall is generally quite 

 heavy and the summer climate is variable, usually cool and damp, frost 

 occurring sometimes every month in the year. To make sure of their iden- 

 tity I shot two of these birds, and found them plump and in excellent 

 condition. The remainder, about a dozen ' in number, seemed to stand the 

 winter well, the thermometer falling more than once considerably below zero, 

 and in the summer of 1883 I noticed two coveys of half-grown birds. They 

 were excessively shy at all times, living, as a rule, in the more open pine 

 timber, and when disturbed flying at once into the densest growth of 

 young pines and hiding in the trees. I never saw them on the open 

 meadow or valley lands. I am certain that they were not introduced here, 

 and as they are often known to travel long distances on foot, I believe they 

 followed up the wagon road to the post, and this ending at that point, they 

 settled down permanently, the mountains by which the fort is hemmed in 

 barring a further advance. On the lower Klamath River they are common 

 enough, but the character of the country is quite different there, and emi- 

 nently suited to these birds, which can not be said of the locality where the 

 post is sitiiated. 



The Valley Partridges found along the coast in southern California are 

 intermediate between the two races, while the birds found in Lower Califor- 

 nia are typical Calllpepla californica vattico/a. 



Mr. A. W. Anthony writes me about the Lower California birds as follows: 

 "I found the Valley Partridge very common in the mountains of Lower Cali- 

 fornia, up to an altitude of about 9,000 feet, Both in southern and Lower 

 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 observa- 

 tions 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 suffi- 

 cient 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. The call notes of this subspecies are quite varied, frequently 

 the same bird changing his call six or seven times within half an hour.' 



"A call heard frequently during the nesting season, and which seems to be 

 a challenge from the male, is a clear, loud 'thee-hooo,' or 'queh-666' (stress 



