﻿58 
  BOBWHITE 
  AND 
  OTHER 
  " 
  QUAILS 
  OF 
  UNITED 
  STATES. 
  

  

  five 
  minutes* 
  walk 
  often 
  saw 
  a 
  hundred 
  birds. 
  The 
  same 
  observer, 
  

   when 
  in 
  Mohave 
  County. 
  Ariz., 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  bird 
  fed 
  principally 
  

   on 
  juicy 
  plants 
  when 
  it 
  could 
  not 
  procure 
  water. 
  At 
  times 
  it 
  eats 
  

   grass 
  and 
  its 
  inflorescence, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  devour 
  showy 
  

   flowers. 
  In 
  spring 
  it 
  shows 
  a 
  fondness 
  for 
  buds. 
  Baird. 
  Brewer, 
  

   and 
  Ridgway 
  note 
  that 
  then 
  it 
  feeds 
  largely 
  on 
  the 
  willow 
  buds, 
  

   which 
  impart 
  to 
  its 
  flesh 
  a 
  distinctly 
  bitter 
  taste. 
  a 
  

  

  The 
  seed-eating 
  habits 
  of 
  Gambel 
  quail 
  closely 
  resemble 
  those 
  of 
  

   the 
  valley 
  quail. 
  Leguminous 
  plants 
  furnish 
  the 
  largest 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   seed 
  food 
  — 
  21.17 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  annual 
  diet 
  — 
  alfalfa, 
  bur 
  clover, 
  and 
  

   kindred 
  plants 
  appearing 
  to 
  be 
  preferred, 
  but 
  cassias, 
  acacias, 
  and 
  

   lupines 
  also 
  are 
  taken, 
  as 
  Avell 
  as 
  the 
  beans 
  of 
  the 
  mesquite. 
  which 
  in 
  

   many 
  places 
  are 
  a 
  staple 
  with 
  birds 
  and 
  mammals. 
  The 
  seeds 
  of 
  

   alfilaria 
  (Erodium 
  cicutarium), 
  another 
  bird 
  staple, 
  furnish 
  2.28 
  

   per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  year's 
  food. 
  Miscellaneous 
  seeds 
  form 
  8.t4 
  per 
  cent. 
  

   They 
  are 
  obtained 
  from 
  grasses, 
  mallows 
  (Malva), 
  and 
  such 
  crucif- 
  

   erous 
  plants 
  as 
  mustard 
  (Brassica) 
  and 
  peppergrass 
  (Lepidium) 
  ; 
  

   also 
  from 
  chickweed 
  (Gerastium) 
  and 
  Atriplex. 
  

  

  MOUNTAIN 
  QUAIL. 
  

  

  (Oreorti/.r 
  pictus*) 
  

  

  The 
  mountain 
  quail 
  occurs 
  in 
  the 
  forested 
  mountains 
  of 
  the 
  humid 
  

   Transition 
  Zone 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast, 
  from 
  Santa 
  Barbara. 
  Cal.. 
  to 
  

   Washington, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  mountains 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  arid 
  Transition 
  Zone 
  

   en 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Cascades 
  in 
  northern 
  Oregeon 
  and 
  south 
  over 
  

   the 
  Sierra 
  Nevada 
  to 
  northern 
  Lower 
  California. 
  The 
  birds 
  of 
  the 
  

   Sierra 
  Nevada 
  winter 
  at 
  lower 
  altitudes 
  than 
  they 
  nest, 
  but 
  those 
  of 
  

   the 
  coast 
  mountains 
  do 
  not 
  make 
  this 
  vertical 
  migration. 
  This 
  

   species 
  is 
  the 
  largest 
  and 
  among 
  the 
  handsomest 
  of 
  American 
  quail. 
  

   with 
  two 
  long 
  jet-black 
  crest 
  plumes 
  and 
  rich 
  chestnut 
  throat 
  and 
  

   flanks, 
  the 
  latter 
  broadly 
  banded 
  transversely 
  with 
  spotless 
  white. 
  

  

  The 
  nests 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  quail 
  are 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  usu- 
  

   ally 
  contain 
  10 
  to 
  12 
  eggs, 
  which 
  vary 
  from 
  pale-cream 
  color 
  to 
  a 
  

   much 
  darker 
  due. 
  At 
  Tillamook. 
  Oreg.. 
  June 
  30 
  and 
  July 
  -1. 
  1897, 
  

   A. 
  K. 
  Fisher 
  found 
  newly 
  hatched 
  chicks; 
  and 
  at 
  Donner. 
  Cal.. 
  July 
  

   11 
  and 
  10. 
  at 
  an 
  altitude 
  ranging 
  from 
  6.100 
  to 
  8,000 
  feet, 
  Vernon 
  

   Bailey 
  found 
  nine 
  broods, 
  varying 
  in 
  age 
  from 
  newly 
  hatched 
  chicks 
  

   to 
  half-grown 
  birds. 
  Bendire. 
  quoting 
  L. 
  W. 
  Green, 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  Fish 
  Commission, 
  says 
  that 
  the 
  earliest 
  date 
  of 
  the 
  nesting 
  of 
  

  

  a 
  Hist. 
  X. 
  Am. 
  Birds, 
  III, 
  p. 
  485. 
  1S74. 
  

  

  » 
  The 
  name 
  is 
  used 
  here 
  to 
  cover 
  both 
  the 
  typical 
  dark 
  birds 
  of 
  the 
  humid 
  coast 
  

   forests 
  (Oreortyx 
  pictus) 
  and 
  the 
  paler 
  one 
  (O. 
  p. 
  plumiferus) 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  arid 
  

   Transition 
  Zone 
  in 
  the 
  Sierras 
  and 
  Cascades. 
  

  

  