THE GAME BREEDER 41 



BREEDING CALIFORNIA VALLEY QUAIL. 



By C. H. Shaw. 



I consider the experiment of breeding hatch them either in an incubator or 



the California Valley quail which has under bantams, and brood them with 



extended over a period of three years, a bantams. The old birds bemg placed m 



success separate enclosures for each pair, allow 



■C-. / , , , , • ,1 J , 1 them to keep the eggs laid after this and 



First, by hatching the eggs and brood- ^.jj ^^P^^ ^^ -^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^jl ^^ ^^^ 



mg the young with bantams ; given a Youno- 



bantam hen inclined t-o stay with the I am prepared to dispute absolutely the 

 eggs, a large percentage, averaging 90 theory that they will not rear their 

 per cent., are hatched and there are no young, or even hatch the eggs, in cap- 

 losses of young birds except from the tivity. The secret of success in this is 

 hen stepping on them. We have kept to use breeding stock at least one gen- 

 them with the hen in a coop until four eration removed from the wild condi- 

 weeks old. tion. 



Using an incubator to hatch the eggs, Am sorry not to be able to send you 



the percentage hatched is even higher, any good photographs of these birds. I 



Our first attempts at artificial brooding have made very little effort to obtain 



were a failure, due principally to keep- any as this bird is so well known to 



ing the brooders at too high a temper- everybody on this coast, but I am en- 



ature and crowding. Later this method closing you two or three which may 



was worked out satisfactorily. serve to show the type. 



Perfect results were obtained by al- I consider this the finest game bird 



lowing the parent birds to hatch the eggs in this country, for many reasons. It is 



and rear the young. Even vi^here as very hardy and very alert in keeping 



many as forty-five pair of old birds were safe from its enemies. It roosts in trees 



in one enclosure, they hatched the eggs or other thick cover off of the ground, 



left with them at the end of the season, and is seldom harmed by animals or owls 



although it was necessary to remove the at night. It will adapt itself to civiliza- 



young birds when hatched to prevent tion and become entirely tame around 



injury by old birds which were fighting house grounds where not molested and 



over them. even thrive in a town. As a game bird 



My conclusion is that splendid results for the sportsman it has few competitors, 



can be had with raising these quail un- It may interest you to know that I am 



der the following system: Take say the in a position to ship say 250 of these 



first fifteen eggs laid by each female and birds to the East for breeding purposes. 



PHEASANT BREEDING IN CALIFORNIA. 



By Mary P. Marshall. 



Pheasant breeding is still in its infancy of pleasure, and it is a joy to know that 



in California, although it has become it is growing. 



quite popular of late years and will be Pheasants are raised easier than chick- 

 permanently introduced all over the ens are, and they are more profitable, 

 country. A visit to an aviary will con- They mature early, being full grown at 

 vince one that these beautiful birds are five months. They are small feeders, 

 not a picture dream, but one of Nature's and all diseases common" among chickens, 

 charms for the eye. The culture of such i as roup, etc., seldom occur with 

 them is a wonderful industry and full them. There are no culls as in so-called 



