The California Quail 315 



spends the night on the ground the California Quail invarably roosts in bushes 

 or trees, and, where there is a dense hedge in a garden, they sometimes take 

 possession of the premises, and even walk around the porches of houses where 

 protected from marauders. But let anyone try to get near them, and off they 

 go, with their peculiar whirring of the wings. This bird can be more or less 

 domesticated by keeping it in an enclosed place, and sometimes it nests in 

 confinement, but it seldom gets really tame. 



In some parts of the state, especially in the southern interior, the Quail 

 will run long distances, instead of flying, when disturbed by the hunter — as 

 far as half a mile, often, and a flock of perhaps a hundred or so will in this 

 way apparently disappear from the face of the earth. In the more wooded 

 parts they fly into trees, where they manage to hide themselves in such a 

 manner that it is almost impossible to see them; while, if you do happen to 

 get your eye on one, he seems to know it on the instant, and is off like a 

 shot. Their power of concealment is remarkable under any circumstances. 

 E\'en on the barest sort of ground, where perhaps a dry season has allowed of 

 but little growth of grass, and that little has been gnawed off by the hungry 

 cattle until only a few shreds of fine straw lie on the ground, the Quail will 

 take advantage of a little hollow no bigger than the palm of one's hand, or a 

 stick, bit of stone, anything at all, and become invisible. The practised eye 

 of the most experienced hunter can but seldom pick one out unless he has 

 seen the bird actually settling down into place or making some slight move, 

 so well does the protective coloration blend with the surrounding objects. 



The California Quail does not eat many harmful insects, but is of much 

 benefit as a destroyer of weed seeds. It is fond of grain, and at times may 

 scratch up and eat a little in a sown grainfield, before and after 

 Food the grain has sprouted; but even then it is eating a lot of weed 



seeds as well, and, while it does some damage in certain places and 

 at certain times, it does much good in other places and at other times of year 

 When present in large numbers, it will eat a lot of grain that has fallen on the 

 ground after harvest, and which would be picked up by hogs or sheep in the 

 usual method of farming, but it does very little damage to the standing grain. 



The principal complaint against the Quail is from the vineyard men. The 

 bird seems to delight in vineyards, and often large flocks will take up their 

 abode therein, possibly as much for the cover and protection from hawks 

 as for the fruit itself. Whichever it is, the result is that many grapes are 

 pecked as they ripen, when the "yellow-jackets" (a kind of wasp) begin work 

 at the opening made by the Quail, and soon leave nothing but the empty 

 skin. There may be only a few pecked on a bunch, but it injures the value 

 and weight of it. It seems as if the Quail do more injury in the way of this 

 pecking at the grapes than by eating them whole, though they do both. How- 

 ever, it is more than likely that other birds do a good deal of the damage that 

 the poor Quail is blamed for. 



