CALIFORNIA QUAIL; VALLEY QUAIL 89 



quently the same bird changing his call six or seven 

 times within half an hour." 



Mr. William Proud wrote Captain Bendire from 

 Butte County, California, concerning this species, as 

 follows : 



"Hundreds of these birds roost every night in the 

 shrubbery around my house. Some of them are very 

 tame, feeding among the chickens and coming on 

 the verandah. They appear to know that they are pro- 

 tected. They mostly roost in thick brush, and on the 

 ground when the brush is not at hand. In early sea- 

 sons they begin to pair in the last week of February, 

 but the time varies somewhat according to the season. 

 During this period there is considerable fighting among 

 the males for the favor of the coveted female. This 

 is kept up until they are suitably mated and the nest- 

 ing season arrives. This usually begins here about 

 the last week in March, when the pairs scatter among 

 the shrubbery along the banks and creeks and in adja- 

 cent ravines, along hedgerows and brush fences, and 

 on the borders of cultivated fields. The earliest nest 

 I ever found was on March 15, and on April 15 I 

 met young birds probably a couple of days old. I 

 consider 14 eggs to be about the average number laid 

 by these birds, and have found as many as 24 in a 

 nest. The large sets I attribute to other hens laying 

 in the nest, probably young birds which have failed to 

 make preparation for their own eggs. On May 21 

 my dog pointed a valley partridge on her nest, which 

 contained 22 eggs, and every one hatched. 



