﻿56 
  BOB 
  WHITE 
  AND 
  OTHER 
  QUAILS 
  OF 
  UNITED 
  STATES. 
  

  

  and 
  96.6 
  per 
  cent 
  vegetable 
  matter. 
  Thirty-nine 
  adult 
  birds 
  shot 
  in 
  

   the 
  same 
  period 
  had 
  eaten 
  almost 
  entirely 
  vegetable 
  food, 
  since 
  only 
  

   0.6 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  animal 
  food 
  appeared 
  in 
  analysis. 
  Had 
  the 
  young 
  

   'birds 
  been 
  collected 
  when 
  newly 
  hatched, 
  undoubtedly 
  a 
  larger 
  pro- 
  

   portion 
  of 
  insect 
  food 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  found. 
  The 
  3.4 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  

   insect 
  food 
  mentioned 
  consisted 
  of 
  beetles, 
  0.1 
  per 
  cent 
  ; 
  bugs. 
  0.2 
  per 
  

   cent 
  ; 
  grasshoppers, 
  1.3 
  per 
  cent, 
  and 
  ants, 
  1.8 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  The 
  vegetable 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  is 
  much 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  adult. 
  

   In 
  this 
  case 
  it 
  consisted 
  of 
  leguminous 
  seeds, 
  18.1 
  per 
  cent 
  ; 
  alfilaria 
  

   seeds, 
  18.5 
  per 
  cent 
  ; 
  miscellaneous 
  seeds, 
  54.4 
  per 
  cent 
  : 
  browse, 
  6.6 
  

   per 
  cent 
  : 
  grain, 
  0.6 
  per 
  cent, 
  and 
  miscellaneous 
  vegetable 
  matter, 
  0.4 
  

   per 
  cent. 
  

  

  GAMBEL 
  QUAIL. 
  

  

  (Lophorty.r 
  gambeli.) 
  

  

  [PLATE 
  II.] 
  

  

  The 
  Gambel 
  quail 
  in 
  general 
  appearance 
  is 
  much 
  like 
  the 
  valley 
  

   quail, 
  but, 
  among 
  other 
  differences, 
  lacks 
  the 
  scalelike 
  feathers 
  of 
  the 
  

   lower 
  parts 
  and 
  has 
  considerable 
  chestnut 
  along 
  the 
  flanks. 
  It 
  lives 
  in 
  

   the 
  Lower 
  Sonoran 
  zone, 
  from 
  western 
  Texas 
  to 
  southeastern 
  Cali- 
  

   fornia 
  and 
  from 
  southern 
  Utah 
  and 
  Xevada 
  south 
  through 
  central 
  

   Sonora, 
  Mexico. 
  The 
  desert 
  is 
  its 
  home, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  rarely 
  found 
  far 
  

   from 
  water. 
  Its 
  favorite 
  haunts 
  are 
  patches 
  of 
  bushy 
  vegetation, 
  such 
  

   as 
  mesquite, 
  mimosa, 
  creosote, 
  and 
  patches 
  of 
  prickly 
  pear. 
  It 
  fre- 
  

   quently 
  takes 
  up 
  its 
  abode 
  about 
  cultivated 
  land, 
  living 
  in 
  alfalfa 
  

   fields 
  or 
  nesting 
  in 
  vineyards. 
  

  

  An 
  interesting 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  Gambel 
  quail 
  in 
  the 
  

   Pahrump 
  Valley. 
  Xevada, 
  is 
  given 
  by 
  E. 
  W. 
  Nelson 
  : 
  

  

  I 
  noticed 
  that 
  -when 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  quail 
  caine 
  to 
  feed 
  on 
  grain 
  left 
  by 
  the 
  horses 
  

   an 
  old 
  male 
  usually 
  mounted 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  a 
  tall 
  bush 
  close 
  by 
  and 
  remained 
  on 
  

   guard 
  for 
  ten 
  or 
  fifteen 
  minutes 
  ; 
  then, 
  if 
  everything 
  -was 
  quiet, 
  he 
  would 
  fly 
  

   down 
  among 
  his 
  companions. 
  At 
  the 
  first 
  alarm 
  the 
  flock 
  would 
  take 
  to 
  the 
  

   bushes, 
  running 
  swiftly, 
  or 
  flying 
  when 
  hard 
  pressed. 
  They 
  roosted 
  in 
  the 
  

   dense 
  bunches 
  of 
  willows 
  and 
  cottonwoods 
  growing 
  along 
  the 
  ditches. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  

   When 
  feeding 
  they 
  have 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  low 
  clucking 
  and 
  cooing 
  notes 
  which 
  are 
  

   kept 
  up 
  almost 
  continually. 
  « 
  

  

  The 
  love 
  note, 
  according 
  to 
  Coues, 
  may 
  be 
  represented 
  in 
  words 
  as 
  

   ' 
  killink, 
  killink.' 
  Nesting 
  takes 
  place 
  in 
  April, 
  sometimes 
  not 
  till 
  

   May. 
  About 
  a 
  dozen 
  eggs 
  usually 
  constitute 
  a 
  clutch. 
  In 
  sections 
  

   where 
  this 
  quail 
  is 
  still 
  numerous 
  the 
  birds 
  pack 
  in 
  bands 
  of 
  from 
  100 
  

   to 
  500 
  after 
  the 
  breeding 
  season. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  sportsman's 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  the 
  Gambel 
  quail 
  as 
  a 
  game 
  

   bird 
  does 
  not 
  approach 
  the 
  bob 
  white. 
  It 
  will 
  sometimes 
  lie 
  to 
  a 
  dog 
  

  

  a 
  N. 
  A. 
  Fauna, 
  No. 
  7. 
  pp. 
  29, 
  30, 
  1893. 
  

  

  