FOOD HABITS. , 55 



secalinvx (fig. 10) and Bromus hordeaceus), a serious grain pest, 

 are relished, and hundreds of the grain-like seeds of the grass known 

 as 'poison darnel' {Lolium tenndentivm) appear in crops examined. 

 Macoun, quoting Spreadborough, states that in British Columbia, 

 where it winters successfully, the quail finds shelter in severe weather 

 under the broom {Cytisu.s xcopdriiin), which in places grows abun- 

 dantly and yields seed for subsistence." 



The quail feeds also at times on mast. A. K. Fisher, in the western 

 foothills of the Sierra Nevada, the last of July found both young 

 and adult quail eating young>' acorns.* Small quantities of sedge 

 seeds {C'arex and Seirpnx) and of dodder {Ciiseiita) are eaten, the 

 latter plant being a destructive parasite on leguminous forage crops. 

 The miscellaneous seed list includes also stick seeds {L((ppii]a sp.), 

 buttercup {Ranwieulus sp.), bind weed {Concoli'iiliix sp.), Am- 

 fstncl-ia sp., AnagalliH arrerntix^ plaintain {Plantago 771a jo/'), ribgrass 

 {Plantago lanceolata), painted cup {Castilleja sp,), mountain lilac 



'"■H. 



Fig. 10. — Seed of chess {Bromus secalinus}. (From Bull. 47. Nevada .4.gricultural Ex- 

 periment Station.) 



{Ceanothus sp.), and black wattle {CallicoTna serrati folia). In the 

 mountains of Lower California the food supply determines the breed- 

 ing time of birds. If there is not enough rain for a good supply of 

 seeds the coveys of quail do not break up into nesting pairs l^ut remain 

 in coveys throughout the summer. If the season is wet and the winter 

 rains promise abundant food the birds mate in March and begin nest- 

 ing immediately," 



Pood of the Young. 



The food of young birds differs from that of the parents, as has 

 already been remarked of the bob white, but the difference is less 

 marked with the California quail. Stomachs of 32 young of the 

 western birds, from one-fourth to one-half grown, have been exam- 

 ined. They were collected from the middle of July to the middle of 

 September. The food was composed of 3.-1 per cent animal matter 



o Cat. Can. Birds, Part I, p. 198, 1900. 

 6 N. A. Fauna, No. 7, p. 28, 189.3. 

 cLife Hist. N. A. Birds [I], p. 27, 1892. 



