﻿52 
  BOBWHITE 
  AND 
  OTHER 
  QUAILS 
  OF 
  UNITED 
  STATES. 
  

  

  In 
  its 
  habit 
  of 
  feeding 
  on 
  foliage 
  the 
  California 
  quail 
  differs 
  from 
  

   the 
  bobwhite 
  and 
  resembles 
  the 
  ruffed 
  grouse. 
  Such 
  food 
  forms 
  22.73 
  

   per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  vegetable 
  matter 
  eaten. 
  In 
  February, 
  when 
  the 
  bob- 
  

   white 
  is 
  weathering 
  blizzards, 
  the 
  California 
  quail 
  is 
  enjoying 
  balmy 
  

   weather 
  and 
  feeding 
  on 
  browse 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  80 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  its 
  food. 
  

   Most 
  of 
  this 
  browse 
  consists 
  of 
  leaves 
  of 
  leguminous 
  plants, 
  princi- 
  

   pally 
  clovers. 
  Bur 
  clover 
  (Medicago 
  denticulata) 
  , 
  a 
  weed 
  that 
  

   grows 
  in 
  cultivated 
  land 
  and 
  along 
  irrigation 
  ditches, 
  appears 
  to 
  sup- 
  

   ply 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  forage. 
  Alfalfa 
  and 
  clovers 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  alfalfa 
  

   form 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  remaining 
  leguminous 
  green 
  food. 
  Next 
  to 
  legumes 
  

   the 
  finely 
  divided 
  leaves 
  of 
  alfilaria, 
  or 
  ' 
  filaree 
  ' 
  (Erodium) 
  , 
  are 
  im- 
  

   portant. 
  Grass, 
  chickweed 
  (Alsine 
  media), 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  fern, 
  

   geranium, 
  oxalis, 
  and 
  groundsel-bush 
  (Baccharis) 
  also 
  furnish 
  forage 
  

   for 
  the 
  quail. 
  W. 
  W. 
  Cooke 
  reports 
  that 
  near 
  Grand 
  Junction, 
  

   Colo., 
  where 
  the 
  California 
  coast 
  quail 
  has 
  been 
  introduced 
  and 
  

   thrives 
  wonderfully, 
  market 
  gardeners 
  regard 
  it 
  as 
  a 
  nuisance. 
  

  

  WEED 
  SEEDS. 
  

  

  Different 
  seeds, 
  largely 
  of 
  weeds, 
  furnish 
  the 
  California 
  quail 
  59.77 
  

   per 
  cent 
  of 
  its 
  year's 
  diet. 
  Legumes 
  contribute 
  17.87 
  per 
  cent; 
  alfi- 
  

   laria, 
  13.38 
  per 
  cent; 
  composite, 
  5.55 
  per 
  cent; 
  the 
  spurge 
  family 
  

   (Euphorbiacece) 
  , 
  5.85 
  per 
  cent, 
  and 
  miscellaneous 
  plants 
  17.12 
  per 
  

   cent. 
  Leguminous 
  seeds 
  are 
  liked 
  best 
  by 
  the 
  bird, 
  and 
  make 
  up 
  

   17.87 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  seed 
  diet 
  for 
  the 
  year 
  and 
  46.1 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  its 
  

   food 
  for 
  June. 
  Bur 
  clover 
  yields 
  abundance 
  of 
  seeds 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   forage. 
  Its 
  seed 
  pod 
  is 
  peculiar, 
  much 
  elongated, 
  beset 
  with 
  long, 
  

   sharp 
  spines, 
  and 
  spirally 
  coiled 
  into 
  a 
  roundish 
  bur. 
  The 
  quail 
  

   swallows 
  it 
  whole, 
  regardless 
  of 
  spines. 
  This 
  food 
  is 
  highly 
  nutri- 
  

   tious 
  and 
  is 
  relished 
  by 
  stock 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  by 
  birds 
  and 
  wild 
  mammals. 
  

   Seeds 
  of 
  closely 
  allied 
  plants, 
  such 
  as 
  alfalfa, 
  vetch, 
  cassias, 
  culti- 
  

   vated 
  beans 
  and 
  peas, 
  and 
  clovers 
  of 
  the 
  genera 
  Trifolium, 
  Lespedeza, 
  

   and 
  Melilotus 
  also 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  quail's 
  list, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  of 
  locust 
  (Robinia) 
  

   and 
  lupines, 
  the 
  latter 
  taken 
  in 
  large 
  quantities. 
  They 
  include 
  the 
  

   seeds 
  of 
  Lupinus 
  nanus, 
  L. 
  micranthus, 
  and 
  L. 
  sparsifiorus. 
  Other 
  

   leguminous 
  seeds 
  are 
  eaten 
  in 
  great 
  numbers, 
  including 
  a 
  small 
  bean- 
  

   like 
  seed, 
  Lotus 
  glaber, 
  which 
  looks 
  much 
  like 
  a 
  miniature 
  Frankfurt 
  

   sausage, 
  and 
  an 
  unidentified, 
  almost 
  microscopic 
  square 
  seed, 
  with 
  a 
  

   notch 
  in 
  its 
  edge, 
  possibly 
  some 
  species 
  of 
  birdsfoot 
  trefoil 
  (Lotus). 
  

   Nearly 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  leguminous 
  plants 
  that 
  furnish 
  the 
  quail 
  with 
  seeds 
  

   belong 
  in 
  the 
  category 
  of 
  weeds. 
  

  

  Seeds 
  of 
  Aveeds 
  from 
  other 
  families 
  of 
  plants 
  make 
  up 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  

  

  a 
  Birds 
  of 
  Colorado, 
  App. 
  2, 
  p. 
  202, 
  1900, 
  

  

  

  