The Oregon Sportsman 



Volume III APRIL, 1915 Number 4 



THE CALIFORNIA OR VALLEY QUAIL. 



A Valuable Bird About the Farm, Introduced from Southern 

 Oregon into All Parts of the State. 



P THE farmers throughout the state want 

 a bird that is valuable both from the 

 economic and game standpoint, they 

 should encourage this bird which is 

 often known as the Little Blue Quail. 

 The food of the bird is largely weed seed 

 and insects. It is a native of the southern 

 part of our state and during the last two 

 or three years has been introduced into 

 almost every part of Oregon. With a 

 little encouragement, the California or Valley Quail will thrive 

 in every section of the state. 



During 1914, nearly twelve hundred of these birds were 

 trapped in Jackson and Josephine counties and were liberated 

 in sixteen different counties in various parts of the state, accord- 

 ing to the reports published in The Oregon Sportsman for Janu- 

 ary, 1915. In order to protect these quail and give them a chance 

 to increase, the legislature has closed the quail season during 

 1915 and 1916. 



The call note of the California or Valley Quail is easily 

 imitated and sounds like, "Coo-coo-coo! Coo-coo-coo!" with 

 the emphasis on the second syllable. It differs distinctly from 

 the single whistle of the Mountain Quail. This call is one com- 

 monly used as a sort of a signal from one bird to another or for 

 the flock. If one comes upon a flock of these birds unexpectedly, 

 the first note is a danger signal, "Tst! Tst! Tst!" which mighr 

 be described as a sound made by suddenly exploding or drawing 

 in a breath of air. 



Quail have a great many enemies. In order to protect them- 

 selves while feeding ,one bird will often mount to the top of a 

 fence or take a position in a tree and act as a sentinel for the 

 :rest of the company. Eternal vigilance is the price that the quail 



