THIRTY-SECOND BIENNIAL REPORT 



51 



that its habitat included only California, but a recent check shows this 

 bird in large numbers in both Oregon and Washington where it is 

 adjusting itself to a more rigorous climate. 



The Bob White is a ground living bird. It nests on the ground, 

 feeds there, and roosts in a huddled position that makes its destruction 

 by night-prowling vermin a comparatively easy matter. On the other 

 hand the valley quail spends the night in trees and in that way escapes 

 many of its natural enemies. In general, the valley quail is more 

 aggressive and a stronger fighter for its existence. 



In the past two years equipment has been installed at both farms 

 for the production of the valley quail that will put it on an equality 

 with the pheasant. Every effort is being made to produce the founda- 

 tion stock of breeders so that this program may be carried out in a 

 manner that will produce quail in large numbers. 



THE CHUKOR PARTRIDGE 



This fine game bird is a native of India and weighs from twenty- 

 four to thirty ounces. The black stripes along its sides on a back- 

 ground of slate blue give it a camouflage that makes its hunting, except 

 with a dog, an extremely hard matter. It blends into any sort of 

 rocky or dry grass cover with a completeness that baffles the trained eye. 



Its range of habitat possibly surpasses all other birds as it has 

 been found from a little above sea level to as high as sixteen thousand 

 feet. However, it seems to have a natural range of around four to 



Fig. 11. Thousands of young quail are raised at the Cliino Game Farm. The 

 birds grown here are released on sanctuaries protected by the Division of ' 

 Fish and Game. Photo taken June 5, 1932. 



six thousand feet and is known in India as the bird that lives on 

 nothing. 



They reproduce well in captivity and the young respond to arti- 

 ficial brooding methods as well or better than any other bird. On 

 the record of this bird for the past two years we would say that it 

 bids fair to become one of the finest game birds yet introduced, and 



