and the Maritime Provinces. 353 



" The Columbian sharptail grouse is one of the finest examples of the 

 grouse family. Comparatively few hunters in the East know much about 

 it, as it inhabits wilder and more distant localities than the prairie chicken. 

 The latter follows the farmer ; the sharptail shuns man and his fields of 

 waving grain. It has been noticed that, as cultivation creeps up the Mis- 

 souri, this grouse gradually recedes, and the prairie hen takes its place. 

 In 1838 it still lingered in Illinois; now it is hardly found to the eastward 

 of northwest Minnesota. From that point it exists westward to the Sierra 

 Nevada in suitable localities. 



" This dread of civilization would seem to render its success in the 

 East extremely doubtful ; in all other respects it is an admirable bird. 



" It loves best the underbrush along the margins of the western streams, 

 and, during the early fall, lies well to a dog. It is tame at that season, 

 and any good shot should kill two thirds of those he shoots at. They 

 feed on the wild-rose seeds, buds and insects. Late in the fall and during 

 the winter they stick more to the timber, and roost at night on the cotton- 

 woods. It, at all times, likes the skirts of woodlands better than the open 

 prairie. 



" A bird from which great results are expected by those who are im- 

 porting it into Massachusetts, is the California valley quail. 



" It is most abundant in southern California, where, in favorable sea- 

 sons, it is to be found in myriads. Strange to say, after a dry winter it 

 does not breed, seeming to be aware that the food supply during the 

 succeeding summer is likely to be precarious. It is about one fifth 

 smaller than our well-known " Bob White," and is the game bird of its 

 native land, where it may be found from the seashore to an elevation of 

 six thousand feet above the tide-water. 



" As a sporting and table bird it is certainly inferior to the eastern 

 bird, being more prone to run than to fly, and, according to epicures, 

 proving a failure as "quail on toast." But it is confidently expected that 

 in this State the bird will change its habits for the better. It is well known 

 that a bird that will run like a greyhound over open, sun-dried plains will 

 lie well to a dog in cover that is a foot high. 



" When the young valley quail are about three quarters grown they 

 unite in flocks, numbering thousands, and are then hard to approach, and 

 do not lie to a point until broken up. The best quail shooting in Cali- 

 fornia lasts from September 15th until the middle of March; here the 

 season will be considerably shorter. 



" The California mountain quail is one of the most beautiful birds 

 known to hunters. In size fully one fifth heavier than Bob White, its 

 coloring is far more attractive. Its breast is slate-blue, its back, brownish- 

 gray, and the swelling throat is enlivened by a band of white, with a 



