563 
December, 1922 
credit for having mice and other rodents 
harmful to crops on his bounteous menu, 
but a bird is the morsel that suits his 
appetite best, and the ground dwelling 
species, including the quail, are the ones 
most habitually preyed upon by Bob- 
cats. No animal can equal the Bobcat 
as a destroyer of bird life. He skirts 
the edge of the brush and pounces like 
a flash upon the little sparrow scratching 
among the liter; likewise he scans the 
open glades on hillsides, sights a flock 
of quail feeding, just out from cover, 
and then flattens to the ground — his 
little stub tail twitching from side to 
side as he stops at intervals to watch 
the movements of the flock. He gets 
a bush between himself and his quarry, 
swiftly crawls to it, and usually there 
are one or two quail that see too late the 
flash of the cat that hurtles over the 
bush into their midst and one of these 
“Bob” usually gets, with the same agil- 
ity that you have seen displayed by 
“tabby” catching a mouse. 
It is rare that Bobcats are seen in 
the daytime and still rarer to observe 
one in the act of hunting. Several 
years of field service in research work 
gave me unusual opportunities to come 
in contact with such incidents. I have 
a vivid recollection of once seeing a 
Bobcat fail in an attempt to catch a 
quail. Part of a flock of quail I had 
been hunting flew over to the opposite 
side of the hill. From the direction and 
speed in which they scaled the ridge 
I figured they, settled well down in the 
ravine. Upon reaching the ridge (in 
pursuit) I heard them clucking excitedly 
and reasoned that something unusual 
was disturbing them. Then the cause 
presented itself in the shape of a big 
Bobcat. He just happened to be in the 
vicinity when the quail took to cover, 
and was gingerly stepping along in cat- 
like stealthiness when I caught sight of 
him. He was evidently attracted to a 
clucking old male on guard, and was 
sneaking with great care when one of 
the flock “flushed” very close to him. 
He sprang for the quail but got only a 
few feathers in his paws and then I 
sent him scurrying to the brush with a 
quail load, at about 60 yards; too light 
to do more than scare him badly. 
Snakes also figure in no trivial way 
as a menace to the increase of game 
birds. They are fond of birds’ eggs 
and all ground and brush dwelling forms 
are subject to attack, the quail number- 
ing among many species which have 
been recorded in scientific research. So 
summarizing, after the sportsman has 
helped himself to the quail supply, is it 
not remarkable that the word “abun- 
dant” can be well applied in describing 
their numbers. Comparatively speak- 
ing, the California quail are the most 
plentiful of all other land game birds. 
Though their propagating propensities 
are greater in the average than other 
species, the most conspicuous reason for 
their holding out against such numerous 
foes is chiefly owing to their superior 
activity, wariness, and that rare instinct 
which enables them to hide or escape 
to safe sheltering brush. Any other non- 
migratory game bird, hunted as vigor- 
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