﻿CALIFORNIA 
  QUAIL. 
  49 
  

  

  thither 
  for 
  water 
  during 
  the 
  day, 
  and 
  by 
  waiting 
  until 
  many 
  birds 
  

   were 
  bunched 
  the 
  hunters 
  killed 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  score 
  at 
  each 
  discharge 
  of 
  

   the 
  gun. 
  In 
  a 
  week 
  of 
  this 
  butchery 
  8,400 
  quails 
  were' 
  killed. 
  A 
  

   record 
  of 
  525 
  birds 
  to 
  four 
  guns 
  in 
  a 
  day 
  in 
  February, 
  1903, 
  near 
  San 
  

   Diego, 
  Cal., 
  shows 
  that 
  birds 
  are 
  still 
  abundant 
  there, 
  though 
  far 
  less 
  

   numerous 
  in 
  most 
  places 
  than 
  formerly. 
  

  

  The 
  California 
  quail, 
  though 
  not 
  a 
  large 
  consumer 
  of 
  insects, 
  is 
  a 
  

   useful 
  bird, 
  since 
  weed 
  seeds 
  constitute 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  of 
  its 
  food. 
  

   In 
  some 
  regions 
  these 
  birds 
  suffer 
  from 
  the 
  curtailment 
  of 
  their 
  food 
  

   supply 
  by 
  droughts, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  range 
  many 
  

   are 
  killed 
  by 
  severe 
  winters. 
  Bendire 
  states 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  exces- 
  

   sively 
  cold 
  winter 
  of 
  1887-88, 
  when 
  the 
  mercury 
  dropped 
  to 
  28° 
  

   below 
  zero 
  in 
  the 
  northeastern 
  corner 
  of 
  California, 
  these 
  quail 
  per- 
  

   ished 
  in 
  great 
  numbers. 
  7 
  ' 
  

  

  The 
  California 
  quail 
  might 
  be 
  introduced 
  successfully 
  in 
  many 
  sec- 
  

   tions 
  between 
  California 
  and 
  Texas 
  where 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  occur 
  at 
  present. 
  

   It 
  already 
  has 
  been 
  introduced 
  into 
  Colorado, 
  where 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  pro- 
  

   tected 
  by 
  law 
  at 
  all 
  seasons 
  until 
  1920. 
  Laws 
  to 
  prevent 
  trapping 
  

   and 
  to 
  limit 
  the 
  day's 
  bag, 
  together 
  with 
  absolute 
  protection 
  in 
  sec- 
  

   tions 
  where 
  necessary, 
  should 
  suffice 
  to 
  preserve 
  this 
  beautiful 
  species. 
  

  

  FOOD 
  HABITS. 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  food 
  habits 
  of 
  this 
  quail 
  have 
  been 
  ascertained 
  by 
  the 
  

   examination 
  of 
  601 
  stomachs, 
  and 
  it 
  proves 
  to 
  be 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  

   largely 
  vegetarian 
  of 
  game 
  birds. 
  The 
  material 
  for 
  investigation 
  

   was 
  collected 
  in 
  California, 
  and 
  represents 
  every 
  month 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  

   except 
  May. 
  Insects 
  furnished 
  but 
  2.15 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  food, 
  and 
  

   leaves, 
  seeds, 
  and 
  fruit 
  97.85 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  Insect 
  and 
  Other 
  Animal 
  Food. 
  

  

  The 
  2.15 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  animal 
  food 
  eaten 
  by 
  this 
  quail 
  is 
  distributed 
  

   as 
  f 
  ollows 
  : 
  Spiders, 
  0.03 
  per 
  cent 
  ; 
  beetles, 
  0.22 
  per 
  cent 
  ; 
  grasshoppers 
  

   and 
  crickets, 
  0.24 
  per 
  cent; 
  ants 
  and 
  other 
  Hymenoptera, 
  0.67 
  per 
  

   cent 
  ; 
  miscellaneous 
  insects, 
  0.99 
  per 
  cent. 
  The 
  beetles 
  are 
  both 
  adults 
  

   and 
  larvae, 
  and 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  following 
  families 
  : 
  Chrysomelidm 
  (leaf- 
  

   eating 
  beetles), 
  T 
  enebrionidce 
  (darkling 
  beetles), 
  Elateridce 
  (wire- 
  

   worms), 
  Carabidce 
  (ground 
  beetles), 
  Dermestidce 
  (dermestids), 
  Coc- 
  

   cinellidw 
  (ladybirds), 
  and 
  snout 
  beetles 
  (suborder 
  Rhynchophora) 
  . 
  

   The 
  leaf 
  -eating 
  beetles 
  include 
  Diabrotica 
  soroi\ 
  a 
  western 
  representa- 
  

   tive 
  of 
  the 
  destructive 
  twelve-spotted 
  cucumber 
  beetle. 
  Flea 
  beetles 
  

   also 
  are 
  eaten, 
  including 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Tlaltica. 
  Among 
  the 
  

  

  « 
  Recreation, 
  vol. 
  18, 
  p. 
  3G8, 
  1893. 
  

  

  6 
  Life 
  Hist. 
  N. 
  Am. 
  Birds 
  [I], 
  p. 
  26, 
  1892. 
  

  

  