The Valley Quails 



Taken in Monterey County 



n/20 VALLEY QUAIL 



Photo by the Author 





nished me by Mrs. Bagg, of 412 W. Montecito St., Santa Barbara. Ac- 

 cording to this lady, in the summer of 1910 a pair of these birds nested 

 on a horizontal stretch of dense wistaria covering an arbor, at a height 

 of ten feet from the ground. At first the nest was insecure, and one egg 

 fell through to the ground, but the bottom was evidently repaired soon 

 after, for there were no more losses. On hatching day the parent birds 

 took station on the lawn below and called the chicks to them one by one 

 as they tumbled off the trellis roof. The little fellows were oftenest 

 stunned at first, but soon recovered and toddled off to join their fellows. 

 Presently the parents called them together, led them off, and secreted 

 them under a sidewalk a block away. After solemnly charging the little 

 brood to remain together and motionless, the parent birds returned to 

 look for delinquents. The last two chicks had fallen out after their 

 parents had departed, and being evidently the weakest of the lot, had 

 lain stunned on the ground for a longer time than usual ; but as they were 

 beginning to recover, Mrs. Bagg, in mistaken kindness, noting the absence 

 of the old birds, gathered them up and took them into the house. The 



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