(Plate XVII.) 
THE MOUNTAIN QUAIL. 
Oueortvx pjctus Baird. 
This superbly appareled mountaineer of the West, whose 
chosen home is the Sierras of the Northern Pacific coast, is the 
rarest and wildest of game-birds even in those distant solitudes. 
Its striking and elegant colors and its noble plume attract the 
instant attention of the fortunate beholder, but its wary nature 
leads it so quickly to seek safety in concealment or flight that 
very little is known of its habits. 
It appears to be distributed, says Dr. Cooper, the prominent 
naturalist of the Pacific Slope, throughout all the higher ranges 
of California and Oregon, to, or perhaps somewhat northward of, 
the Columbia River. South of San Francisco these Quails are 
unknown near the coast, but in the Sierra Nevada they have been 
seen as far south as Fort Tejon, and Cajon Pass. Eastward of 
the Sierras, their range extends through the foot-hills as far as 
Carson City and the Comstock Mountains, near Pyramid Lake, 
Nevada. The settlers in that region assert that before the advent 
of white men this Ouail was not known in Nevada, but that it 
followed the wagon-roads eastward Irom the Sierra. Ornitholo¬ 
gists do not credit this statement, however, and the Indians, who 
highly prize the pretty plume as an ornament, explicitly deny it, 
and say this bird has always inhabited the outlying eastern spurs 
of the great range. 
Very properly called “Plumed Partridge” in some books, the 
common name of Mountain Quail, by which it is recognized 
among the sportsmen of California, is singularly applicable to 
distinguish it from the Valley Quail of the lowlands ; for this 
species chooses as its summer home the most elevated districts, 
rarely being found in summer below 7,000 feet, and wandering 
thence to the limit of vegetation. In winter the terrific gales and 
deep snows of those altitudes drive the Quails to a milder climate 
near the base of the range. In one of his last reports upon the 
zoology of the West, which he has long been exploring as natu¬ 
ralist in connection with a government expedition, Mr. Henry W. 
Henshaw says that about Lake Tahoe a very complete migration 
of Mountain Quails takes place in the fall, not to the south, but 
westward, the flocks passing over to the California side of the 
Sierras and descending to a greater or less distance, as the severity 
of the season demands. The snow upon the eastern slope tails 
to a great depth, and the winter is very rigorous, much more so 
than upon the western side, — “ facts which appear to have been 
thoroughly acquired by experience by these birds, till the habit of 
migration in anticipation of winter has become a fixed and con¬ 
stant one.” But ordinarilv it is true that the seasonal movements 
are only an upward wandering in spring, and a downward retreat 
in autumn to escape the snow. Only in Oregon, however, do 
they descend quite into the valleys, and then only for a short 
season during the coldest weather. These birds occur in the 
Willamette Valley, Oregon, in considerable numbers, to be sure, 
and seem to breed on the prairies back ol the town of Fort 
Vancouver, at no great elevation above the sea; but they were 
introduced there artificially some years ago. 
The Mountain Quail is usually found in the jungles of chap¬ 
arral, or among the scanty cedars that grow on hill-sides where 
the grass is high, and the roughness of the. ground retards the 
hunter, while it facilitates the escape of the birds. It is put up 
with difficulty, preferring to trust to its legs for safety, and, when 
finally flushed, though there may be a covey of fifteen or twenty, 
rises singly and can fie shot only one at a time. Then they scat¬ 
ter in all directions and call each other together by a whistle very 
much like that of a man calling his dog. The best time to 
shoot them is in the early morning, when they come out into the 
roads and openings to feed. 1 hey live on seeds, berries, and 
insects, and are very good for the table. As with the other spe¬ 
cies. more are taken in traps than with the gun. The Indians, 
especially, snare hundreds and use the plumes for purposes ol 
adornment in various ways. Dr. Coues tells us that he once saw 
a squaw with a hundred or more crests strung on a single piece 
of rope-yarn for a necklace. The larger hawks and wolves also 
prey on them. Their flight and general habits resemble those 
of the Valfey Quail. 
Early in the summer they make their nest on the ground, 
where they deposit and hatch a dozen or so richly cream-tinted 
eggs. When calling together a brood which has been disturbed, 
and has scattered with faint piping; notes of fright much like 
young chickens, the mother utters a low chick. Their note of 
alarm is a faint chirp ; their summons to each other expressive of 
great solicitude until the whole little company is reunited; Avhile 
the “ song” of the male is a pleasant crowing, like koo-koo-ko-oo'c. 
No wonder, with their handsome coats and gentle ways, that 
they are bought at a high price by the miners, whose camps in the 
gulches sadly need a little that is ornamental, and whose rough 
and battling lives crave something that is tender in contrast, if it 
is only a pet bird in a cage. 
