﻿FOOD 
  HABITS. 
  51 
  

  

  those 
  bunches 
  which 
  are 
  near 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  damage 
  which 
  they 
  

   cause 
  seems 
  overestimated. 
  Too 
  often 
  mutilated 
  bunches 
  of 
  grapes 
  are 
  supposed 
  

   to 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  quail 
  in 
  the 
  vineyard 
  ; 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  other 
  birds 
  and 
  

   mammals, 
  also, 
  which 
  vary 
  their 
  diet 
  with 
  grapes. 
  I 
  have 
  examined 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  quail's 
  crops 
  and 
  gizzards 
  without 
  finding 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  grapes, 
  although 
  

   the 
  birds 
  had 
  been 
  shot 
  near 
  and 
  in 
  vineyards. 
  A 
  quail's 
  crop 
  sent 
  to 
  me 
  

   from 
  Los 
  Gatos, 
  by 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  H. 
  Hawley, 
  contained 
  twenty-five 
  small 
  grapes 
  ; 
  

   others 
  had 
  a 
  few 
  grapes, 
  seeds, 
  and 
  poison-oak 
  berries. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  601 
  stomachs 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  quail 
  examined 
  by 
  the 
  Biological 
  

   Survey 
  grapes 
  formed 
  only 
  0.01 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  annual 
  food. 
  This 
  

   small 
  quantity 
  is 
  due, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  

   were 
  shot 
  in 
  regions 
  remote 
  from 
  vineyards 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  during 
  

   the 
  time 
  when 
  grapes 
  were 
  not 
  in 
  fruit. 
  The 
  total 
  proportion 
  of 
  all 
  

   kinds 
  of 
  fruit 
  was 
  only 
  7.60 
  per 
  cent, 
  an 
  amount 
  so 
  insignificant 
  as 
  to 
  

   preclude 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  serious 
  damage. 
  Where 
  the 
  birds 
  are 
  over- 
  

   abundant 
  and 
  the 
  consequent 
  damage 
  great, 
  trapping 
  or 
  advertising 
  

   the 
  conditions 
  in 
  sporting 
  papers 
  will 
  probably 
  result 
  in 
  reducing 
  the 
  

   numbers 
  to 
  normal. 
  Of 
  the 
  T.60 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  fruit, 
  grapes, 
  as 
  before 
  

   stated, 
  contribute 
  0.01 
  per 
  cent; 
  plants 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Rhus, 
  mainly 
  

   Rhus 
  diversiloba, 
  4.74 
  per 
  cent, 
  and 
  miscellaneous 
  fruit, 
  prunes, 
  and 
  

   vaccinium, 
  2.85 
  per 
  cent. 
  The 
  maximum 
  quantity 
  of 
  fruit, 
  amount- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  32.40 
  per 
  cent 
  for 
  the 
  month, 
  was 
  taken 
  in 
  December, 
  after 
  the 
  

   grapes 
  had 
  been 
  picked. 
  

  

  GRAIN. 
  

  

  The 
  relations 
  of 
  the 
  California 
  quail 
  to 
  grain 
  are 
  of 
  considerable 
  

   economic 
  importance. 
  W. 
  T. 
  Craig, 
  of 
  San 
  Francisco, 
  writes 
  to 
  the 
  

   Department 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  : 
  " 
  I 
  have 
  observed 
  the 
  quail 
  enter 
  a 
  field 
  

   of 
  wheat 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  thousands, 
  and 
  had 
  they 
  not 
  been 
  driven 
  

   away 
  they 
  would 
  have 
  destroyed 
  the 
  whole 
  crop." 
  No 
  other 
  reports 
  

   to 
  the 
  Biological 
  Survey 
  show 
  the 
  danger 
  to 
  grain 
  from 
  this 
  quail 
  to 
  

   be 
  so 
  serious, 
  but 
  data 
  at 
  hand 
  show 
  that 
  it 
  does 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  damage 
  

   to 
  germinating 
  grain. 
  Two 
  quail 
  shot 
  by 
  Walter 
  E. 
  Bryant 
  on 
  a 
  

   newly-sown 
  grain 
  field 
  had 
  eaten, 
  respectively, 
  185 
  kernels 
  and 
  210 
  

   kernels 
  of 
  barley. 
  6 
  Barley 
  is 
  important 
  in 
  California, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  

   grown 
  for 
  hay, 
  for 
  grain 
  feed, 
  and 
  for 
  beer 
  making. 
  There 
  is, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  much 
  volunteer 
  barley, 
  which 
  many 
  species 
  of 
  birds 
  feed 
  on 
  

   and 
  thus 
  do 
  good 
  rather 
  than 
  harm. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  quail 
  do 
  

   little 
  or 
  no 
  harm 
  to 
  barley 
  at 
  harvest 
  time, 
  and 
  the 
  waste 
  grain 
  that 
  

   they 
  subsequently 
  gather 
  in 
  stubble 
  fields 
  has 
  no 
  positive 
  value. 
  Of 
  

   the 
  yearly 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  601 
  quail 
  examined 
  6.18 
  per 
  cent 
  was 
  grain, 
  

   divided 
  as 
  follows: 
  Barley, 
  4.58 
  per 
  cent; 
  wheat, 
  0.44 
  per 
  cent; 
  

   corn 
  and 
  oats, 
  1.16 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  a 
  Zoe, 
  IV, 
  p. 
  56, 
  1893. 
  & 
  Zoe, 
  IV, 
  p. 
  55, 
  1893. 
  

  

  