lie well when hunted, especially with dogs. Its habit either of running 
before the dog and gunner or of freezing until one is almost upon it and 
then whirling away with explosive violence adds an element of uncertainty 
to its hunting that requires extreme alertness and quick handling of the 
gun. The experienced hunter, however, has no difficulty in following a 
covey without a dog. 
Early accounts record an unbelievable abundance of these gamey 
birds. Flocks numbering into the thousands were described. T. S. Van 
Dyke (7)£ reports that, on the average, 10,000 quail a season were formerly 
shipped by each market hunter and that sportsmen shooting birds on the 
wing made daily bags of 200. Such abundance did not last, however, and 
the quail dwindled in numbers. 
Throughout the long search for causes of quail paucity, it is amaz- 
ing to note that no effort has been made to regulate the annual harvest of 
these birds. Irrespective of the hatch or of the adequacy of breeding 
stock, hunting goes on. So long as a hunter has hope of success, he may, 
legally, pursue a covey until the last bird is in the bag. All that pres- 
ent game laws require is a State license, adherence to the specified bag 
and possession limits, and permission to hunt on private property. Public 
domain is open to all. These requirements are correct, so far as they go, 
but they do not go far enough. Good management will determine what season- 
al take can be allowed on specific areas and should see that the limit is 
observed, leaving an adequate breeding stock. 
Population Fluctuations 
The great increase of valley quail that has accompanied ground squir- 
rel reduction on several large areas might lead to the conclusion that this 
step alone would assure an abundance of birds, provided rainfall was ade- 
quate, but natural fluctuations, whether cyclic or irregular, must also be 
considered. On the Quinto Ranch study area (see p. 5), a poor hatch oc- 
curred during 1937, and the adult population decreased considerably after 
the beginning of the breeding season. Some observers believe that the cold 
rains during the early nesting period destroyed many nests. The later part 
of the nesting period was not so hampered, and it is questionable whether 
the rains alone were responsible for the poor hatch. The loss of adult 
birds was abnormally great between May and the beginning of the hunting 
season in November. Food, water, and cover were as favorable as in the pre- 
vious 2 years, and ground squirrels and other predators were in no greater 
numbers. In one check area, where no hunting had been done and there were 
more than 500 quail in April 1937, only 30 birds could be found in December 
1937. The loss of adult birds had reduced the population to 10 percent of 
its peak. Grazing pressure had been no greater. In the fall of 1936 the 
birds had reached a point of high abundance, and by the fall of 1937 they 
were at a low point. The little-understood phenomenon of population fluc- 
tuation offers the only satisfactory explanation for the loss, and this 
indicates that the quail saturation point had been reached. 
2/ Numbers underscored in parenthesis refer to Literature Cited, 
page 7. = 
