3. Unseasonable rain during the nesting period caused some loss in 
parts of California, but it does not fully account for the scarcity of 
young birds. 
4, Drought is reported to result in lack of breeding. 
5. California ground squirrels are the most serious check upon 
quail breeding, robbing more nests than all other predators combined. 
6. Great losses occur during the nesting period. 
7. Removal of squirrels through poisoning operations has resulted 
in a marked increase of quail food and in the numbers of valley quail on 
several large areas and has not been detrimental to the birds. 
LITERATURE CITED 
(1) Bendire, C. 
1892. Life history of North American birds. v. 1. 
(2) Bureau of Biological Survey. 
1936. The effects of poisons used in rodent control on 
grouse, pheasants, and quail. U. §. Bur. Biol. 
Survey, leaflet Bi-1028, 17 pp. [Mimeographed. ] 
(3) Emlen, J. T., Jr., and Glading, B. 
1938. California grouwid squirrel robs nest of valley quail. 
Condor 40: 41-42, 
(4) Grinnell, J., Bryant, H. C., and Storer, T. I. 
1918. The game birds of California. 642 pp., illus. 
Berkeley, Calif. 
(5) Grinnell, J. 
1927. <A critical factor in the existence of southwestern 
game birds. Science 65: 528-529. 
(6) Kellogg, E. S. 
1931. The California ground squirrel control program. 
Calif. Dept. Agr. Spec. Pub. 109, 21 pp. Sacra- 
mento. 
(7) Van Dyke, T. S. 
1890. The quail of California. Outing 19: 460, 485-488. 
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