. The gallinaceous game birds of North America, including the partridges, grouse, ptarmigan, and wild turkeys . ut in the lowerpart is supplanted by the California Partridge. It hasbeen introduced into Utah, and flourished there in allsuitable localities. It withstands cold very well, for Ben-dire states (Life Hist. N. Am. B. p. 27), that in the upperKlamath Valley, Oregon, he found a small covey,which passed successfully through the winter of 1882,though the thermometer registered more than once con-siderably below zero, and the next spring there were twocoveys of half-grown birds. In Lower C
. The gallinaceous game birds of North America, including the partridges, grouse, ptarmigan, and wild turkeys . ut in the lowerpart is supplanted by the California Partridge. It hasbeen introduced into Utah, and flourished there in allsuitable localities. It withstands cold very well, for Ben-dire states (Life Hist. N. Am. B. p. 27), that in the upperKlamath Valley, Oregon, he found a small covey,which passed successfully through the winter of 1882,though the thermometer registered more than once con-siderably below zero, and the next spring there were twocoveys of half-grown birds. In Lower California verydry seasons occasionally occur, and it is a rather singularfact, and this has been proved by several carefulobservers, that during such periods the Valley Quail donot breed, but the large flocks that are formed during theautumn remain unbroken all summer. The cause of thiscurious condition of affairs may be the scarcity of seedsand tender grasses, which from lack of moisture have notappeared in the customary abundance. However, if thewinter rainfall has been of the usual quantity, then the 58. ^ <Vwi IV ^ K I II. Valley Partridge. VALLEY PARTRIDGE. 59 coveys break up in March, and mating begins. This factis a very remarkable one, as it shows the suppression ofthe amatory instinct (we can hardly imagine at the willof the bird), at a time when, if it was allowed to have itsusual sway with the consequent result, the probabilitywould be that the young would perish from lack of it would seem that the birds volition had nothingto do with the case, for, as Mr. Anthony states (in a let-ter to Captain Bendire given in the work already cited),individuals obtained by him in April, May, and June,during one of these dry seasons, exhibited but a veryslight development of the ovaries. The nesting seasonbegins in March, perhaps a little later in the northernportion of its habitat, and the males at this time are verypugnacious, and frequent battles occur among them for
Size: 1374px × 1818px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectgameandgamebirds
