GAMBEL'S PAKTRIDGE. 33 



Birds resorting to nesting sites in trees or cacti have undoubtedly lost their 

 eggs or small young on former occasions, and learned from experience that 

 such a situation is in many respects a safer one. 



During the nesting season of 1872, I found, upon a second visit, that sev- 

 eral incomplete sets of eggs belonging to this species had been destroyed or 

 removed. The numerous large snakes of various kinds, especially the rattle- 

 snake, must be counted among the worst of their enemies. 



On one occasion I found a Gambel's Partridge's nest in the side of a sand- 

 bank. A portion of this had been washed away by a former freshet and a 

 sod of grass having been undermined thereby fell over it, being still firmly 

 held in place by its roots. The bird had scratched out a hole in the sandy 

 bank behind this sod and deposited her eggs therein, and it appeared to me 

 to be an extremely well-selected nesting site. It proved otherwise, however, 

 for a few days later, when passing by the spot again, I put my hand in 

 the cavity, the contents of which were not visible without raising the sod, I 

 came in contact with something cold which I at first supposed to be a snake; 

 and being curious to see what it really was and not able to dislodge it, I 

 raised the sod with a stick and found a land terrapin taking its ease in the 

 nest. Not the sign of an egg remained, neither were any broken shells 

 visible. Whether the reptile had eaten the eggs or not I was unable to de- 

 cide, as I found no remains of them in the stomach. That reptiles of various 

 kinds are not adverse to an egg diet is shown by the following instance 

 kindly furnished by Mr. Herbert Brown. A Gila monster, Heloderma sits- 

 pedum, had been caught alive near Tucson, Arizona, on April 14, 18^0, and 

 was placed in a packing box for safekeeping over night. Next morning five 

 eggs were found in the box with the occupant. Two of these were forwarded 

 to me for identification by Mr. Brown, who wished to know if they were 

 the eggs of this reptile or of Gambel's Partridge, he surmising the latter. 

 There was no difficulty in solving this problem, for the shells of the eggs, 

 although considerably injured, plainly showed the peculiar markings of the 

 egg of Gambel's Partridge, and even the shape, leaving no possible doubt 

 that they were the product of one of these birds and not of the Gila mon- 

 ster, which had probably swallowed them whole on the day it was caught 

 and thrown them up during the night. 



The nests of Gambel's Partridge are lined usually, but very slightly, with 

 bits of dry grasses or leaves, and often contain no lining whatever, the eggs 

 lying on the dry, sandy soil. These usually number from ten to twelve 

 in a set, but occasionally double these numbers are found, which are unques- 

 tionably the product of more than one hen. I have several times found 

 ordinary-sized sets placed in two layers, one egg on top of the other, the 

 cavity being in such cases deep, narrow and not rounded. 



A set found by me June 20, 1872, contained nineteen fresh eggs, evi- 

 dently laid by two different birds, as the eggs showed two radically different 

 26957— Bull, 1 3 



