THE



145



Bvicultural flfoagasme,


BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE


AVICULTURAL SOCI ETY.



New Series —VOL. VII. - No 5 .— All rights reserved. MARCH, 1909 .



THE CALIFORNIAN QUAIL


By Hugh Wormald.


The subject of these notes is so well-known now-a-days

that an article from me may be superfluous, but I have been

asked by our Editor to contribute a few lines, and that must be

my excuse.


As an aviary bird the Californian Quail is to be thoroughly

recommended, very hardy, readily tamed, easily kept, and an

extraordinary prolific breeder. They will do well and breed

freely in quite a small aviary, which should have a covered

shelter at one end, plenty of clean gravel or sand for the birds

to dust in, and some growing grass, the latter should be renewed

constantly when possible, for turf quickly fouls. They should

also be provided with bushes and perches, and in the spring

tussocks of high grass to nest among. I find that they thrive

well on dry “chick food” and green stuff, such as groundsel,

chickweed, etc. The young should be fed on ants’ eggs, hard

boiled eggs, meal, and green food cut up small. It is a good

plan when possible to take their foster mother (a hybrid between

the Jungle Fowl and Silkie bantam for choice) in an open field

with a thinnish bottom, so that the chicks can roam about at will

and find insects for themselves.


The following is a good instance of their laying powers in

captivity. East spring a single hen in one of my aviaries laid an

egg every day from the 3rd of April, only missing three days,

until she had laid 144 eggs, very nearly all of which proved

fertile. Altogether from three pairs I got some 260 eggs!


I have at the present time an absurdly tame Californian



