THE QUAILS OF CALIFORNIA. 1 67 



Jones made some remarks about California and 

 its quails, and started over the ravine after the 

 main flock. Fifty yards up the hill a quail rose 

 from the spot where the flock had alighted the 

 last time, and, curling around Jones's head, came 

 backward toward me. At the report of his gun 

 there was a puff of feathers from the bird and it 

 went whirling down. When Jones reached the 

 spot where it fell he found feathers, but neither 

 he nor the dog could find any bird. There was 

 a trail of feathers down a steep slope, and this 

 Jones and the dog followed, the eyes of the 

 master being about as good as the nose of the 

 dog. Some distance below Jones heard some- 

 thing flutter. He went hastily to the place, and 

 found some feathers. It was on the edge of a 

 sharp gully, and he concluded the bird was at the 

 bottom. He sent the dog down, but no bird 

 returned with him. He then went down him- 

 self, and in a few minutes, by the aid of some 

 bushes, he came scrambling out of the gully, hot 

 and tired, and no bird returning with him. 

 Meanwhile he was at the foot of the hill again, 

 and the flock was probably over the top and 

 moving faster than ever. 



