﻿50 
  BOBWHITE 
  AND 
  OTHER 
  QUAILS 
  OF 
  UNITED 
  STATES. 
  

  

  miscellaneous 
  leaf 
  -eating 
  beetles 
  may 
  be 
  mentioned 
  the 
  brilliant 
  Qas- 
  

   iroidea 
  ccesia. 
  Conspicuous 
  among 
  the 
  ground 
  beetles 
  eaten 
  is 
  the 
  

   common 
  Agonoderus 
  pallipes, 
  and 
  among 
  the 
  useful 
  predaceous 
  lady- 
  

   birds 
  the 
  species 
  Hippodamia 
  convergens. 
  Like 
  the 
  eastern 
  bobwhite, 
  

   the. 
  California 
  quail 
  feeds 
  on 
  ants 
  of 
  the 
  families 
  Formicidce 
  and 
  

   Myrmicidce. 
  Sometimes 
  20 
  to 
  35 
  ants 
  are 
  taken 
  at 
  a 
  meal. 
  Of 
  the 
  

   other 
  Hymenoptera, 
  gall 
  insects 
  (Cynipidte) 
  and 
  their 
  galls 
  make 
  a 
  

   significant 
  proportion. 
  Caterpillars 
  and 
  their 
  pupae 
  are 
  eaten. 
  Cut- 
  

   worms 
  (Agrotis), 
  measuring 
  worms 
  (Geometridce) 
  , 
  sphinx 
  caterpil- 
  

   lars 
  (including 
  Deilephila), 
  and 
  the 
  cotton 
  bollworm 
  (Ileliothis 
  

   ohsoleta) 
  make 
  up 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  food. 
  Like 
  the 
  bobwhite 
  

   again, 
  this 
  bird 
  shows 
  a 
  relish 
  for 
  bugs. 
  It 
  eats 
  leaf 
  bugs 
  (Capsidm), 
  

   bugs 
  of 
  the 
  chinch 
  bug 
  family, 
  such 
  as 
  Lygmus 
  truculentis 
  and 
  L. 
  

   Intriangalaris, 
  and 
  stink 
  bugs 
  (Pentatomidft) 
  , 
  assassin 
  bugs 
  (Redu- 
  

   viidce), 
  flat 
  bugs 
  (Aradidw), 
  burrower 
  bugs 
  (Crytomenus) 
  , 
  leaf 
  hop- 
  

   pers 
  (Jassidce), 
  tree 
  hoppers 
  (Membracidce), 
  plant 
  lice, 
  and 
  bugs 
  of 
  

   the 
  genus 
  Scolops 
  (F 
  ulg 
  oridce) 
  . 
  The 
  miscellaneous 
  animal 
  matter 
  

   taken 
  includes 
  flies 
  (Lucillia 
  ccesar), 
  spiders, 
  and 
  snails. 
  

  

  Vegetable 
  Food. 
  

  

  fruit. 
  

  

  The 
  vegetable 
  food 
  of 
  this 
  quail 
  amounts 
  to 
  97.85 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  its 
  

   diet. 
  The 
  bird 
  has 
  an 
  unsavory 
  reputation 
  among 
  fruit 
  growers, 
  

   especially 
  the 
  owners 
  of 
  vineyards. 
  Relative 
  to 
  this 
  subject, 
  Miss 
  

   Florence 
  A. 
  Merriam, 
  writing 
  from 
  San 
  Diego 
  County, 
  Cal., 
  says 
  : 
  

  

  In 
  fact, 
  the 
  quail 
  were 
  so 
  abundant 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  pest. 
  For 
  several 
  years 
  great 
  

   flocks 
  of 
  them 
  came 
  down 
  the 
  canyons 
  to 
  Major 
  Merriam's 
  vineyard, 
  where 
  they 
  

   destroyed 
  annually 
  from 
  twenty 
  to 
  thirty 
  tons 
  of 
  fruit. 
  In 
  one 
  season 
  — 
  July 
  to 
  

   October, 
  1881 
  — 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  thirty 
  dozen 
  [1,560] 
  were 
  trapped 
  on 
  his 
  ranch. 
  

   The 
  result 
  of 
  this 
  wholesale 
  destruction 
  was 
  manifest 
  when 
  I 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  

   valley 
  in 
  1894. 
  The 
  birds 
  were 
  then 
  rarely 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  roads 
  and 
  seldom 
  flushed 
  

   in 
  riding 
  about 
  the 
  valley. 
  a 
  

  

  When 
  this 
  species 
  becomes 
  superabundant 
  and 
  plays 
  havoc 
  with 
  

   crops 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  to 
  remember 
  that 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  so 
  easily 
  checked. 
  W. 
  H. 
  

   Osgood, 
  of 
  the 
  Biological 
  Survey, 
  has 
  furnished 
  the 
  writer 
  data 
  on 
  

   the 
  frugivorous 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  quail 
  in 
  central 
  California. 
  In 
  one 
  

   vineyard 
  he 
  saw 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  about 
  a 
  thousand 
  eating 
  zinfandel 
  grapes. 
  

   The 
  birds 
  do 
  much 
  damage 
  in 
  September, 
  when 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  molt- 
  

   ing 
  and 
  they 
  have 
  collected 
  in 
  packs, 
  as 
  before 
  described. 
  

  

  Walter 
  E. 
  Bryant, 
  writing 
  of 
  the 
  damage 
  to 
  fruit, 
  offers 
  testimony 
  

   on 
  the 
  other 
  side 
  : 
  

  

  In 
  some 
  parts 
  of 
  California 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  strong 
  prejudice 
  against 
  the 
  quail, 
  

   owing 
  to 
  alleged 
  damage 
  to 
  the 
  grape. 
  The 
  evidence 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  thus 
  far 
  

   gathered 
  shows 
  that 
  the 
  quail 
  do 
  pick 
  at 
  the 
  bunches 
  of 
  grapes, 
  and 
  not 
  alone 
  

  

  « 
  Auk, 
  XIII, 
  p. 
  110, 
  1896. 
  

  

  