CALIFORNIA QUAIL; VALLEY QUAIL 87 



are not popular, because believed to eat the grapes. 

 Others more justly believe that the number of noxious 

 insects devoured by the valley quail far exceeds in 

 importance the small amount of fruit which they eat. 



In many places the too long open season and unrea- 

 sonable bag limit have sadly depleted their numbers, 

 and unless complete protection or restocking is re- 

 sorted to this beautiful bird will become locally rare. 



The habits of this species differ very much in differ- 

 ent localities. They are tough, hardy birds, and some- 

 times surprise the ornithologists by turning up in places 

 where they would not at all be expected. On the other 

 hand, they sometimes suffer severely from cold and 

 snow. 



Mr. A. C. Lowell, writing from Ft. Bidwell, in 

 northeastern California, reported to Captain Bendire : 

 "These birds are unable to stand the severe cold of this 

 region, especially when accompanied by a heavy fall 

 of snow. In the winter of 1887-88 about two feet of 

 snow fell, followed by three very severe nights in 

 which the thermometer reached 28 below zero. This 

 killed most of the birds. In the following fall I heard 

 of but three or four coveys of quail within a radius of 

 sixty miles, where thousands had been the year before. 

 They ranged from the northern end of Warner Valley 

 south to Reno, Nevada, and were especially numerous 

 in Buffalo Canyon and along the western shore of 

 Pyramid Lake. They were very common up to the 

 summits of the Warner Mountains, which attain here 

 an altitude of about 6,000 feet. Though the canyons 



