plaints have been made that these birds when abundant are 

 injurious to vineyards. In addition to the seed, grains, berries, 

 buds and insects the game preserver might well plant a lot of 

 grapes as an additional food supply for them. No doubt they 

 would eat raisins in winter, as pheasants and other game birds 

 will, and condemned raisins or raisins of the cheaper grades 

 might be used to advantage on game farms and preserves. 



Although these birds are found abundant in warm climates, 

 they also thrive in mountainous regions and they can stand a 

 lot of cold and snow if they have plenty of food and grit and are 

 protected from the furred and feathered enemies referred to 

 elsewhere. They run before the dogs, but when scattered they 

 often afford good sport. I found them tremendously abundant 

 some years ago when from thirty to fifty covies often were ob- 

 served dusting themselves in the roads in an afternoon's drive. 



/^lAMBEL'S QUAIL is a beautiful game bird somewhat 

 vJ similar to the California valley quail, but it has the same 

 fault and often relies on its legs when the sportsman would 

 prefer to see it use its wings. The range includes parts of 

 California and thence east through Arizona and New Mexico 

 to western Texas. A few years ago thousands of these birds 

 were shot for the markets and since no one protected them 

 against the snakes, hawks, and their other numerous enemies 

 they quickly became extinct in many places and were threatened 

 with extinction everywhere. On some big quail ranches in 

 Arizona and New Mexico, in charge of competent game 

 keepers, these birds might be made and kept far more plen- 

 tiful than they ever were, and such industry will pay as 

 soon as birds from game farms can be sold for propaga- 

 tion and the food produced can be freely marketed. It is 

 to be hoped that the profitable breeding of these birds will 

 be undertaken before it is too late. These birds, like the 

 other Western and Southwestern partridges, are runners, but 

 they are said to afford considerable sport when they are scat- 

 tered; like the others they are very good to eat. The lands 

 they inhabit support many cacti, which afford protection from 

 their natural enemies but which are bad for bird dogs. In 

 addition to other enemies, including wolves and snakes, the 

 Gil a monster is said to dine on this partridge. 



23 



