The Valley Quails 



uk, kit kwak' u k - k o , is heard at its best; for this is also a mating call; 

 and if not always directed toward a single listener, it is a notice to all and 

 sundry that the owner is very happy, and may be found at the old stand. 

 Although belonging to a polygamous family, the Valley Quail is very par- 

 ticular in his affections; and indeed, from all that we may learn, is at all 

 times a very perfect model of a husband and father. Even in domesti- 

 cation, with evil examples all about and temptresses in abundance, the 

 male quail is declared to be as devoted to a single mate as in the chaparral, 

 where broad acres may separate him from a rival. 



The female spends some time casting about before she decides upon 

 a nesting site, and during these days, as also during incubation, the male 

 posts on a mound of earth or upon the summit of a bush, and calls out 



Taken at Los Colibris 



AN EARNEST "SETTIN' HEN" 



Photo by the Author 



from time to time with a vibrant yawrk. The nest itself is a mere apology, 

 a layette of grass or a few leaves scraped together, but the site is usually 

 well concealed in thick grasses, in a clump of ferns, under a protecting bush, 

 nestled at the base of a haystack, or even hidden in the cranny of a rock. 



15S1 



