Cassell's book of birds; vol. 3

by Alfred Edmund Brehm

"These beautiful birds," says Gambel, "so extraordinarily plentiful throughout California, assemble in the winter in numerous swarms of more than a thousand individuals, if the woods are able to provide for that number, and are equally plentiful on bushy plains and the declivities of hills. They exhibit great watchfulness and activity, and when pursued run nimbly away into concealment; if suddenly started they take refuge in trees, crouching close to the horizontal branches like squirrels—in which position the great resemblance of their colouring to that of the bark of the tree, makes it very difficult to detect them." The nest is usually placed on the ground at the foot of a tree or beneath a bush. The eggs are generally numerous and placed in a shallow hollow, scooped at the foot of an oak, and spread over with a few leaves and a little dried grass. Gambel found twenty-four eggs in one nest, but thought that possibly they were the produce of two hens—fifteen being the usual number of the brood.

Freyborg, who also observed this bird in its native country, says that it is stationary, or at least wanders only to a short distance, and feeds on grass, seeds, bulbous roots, garlic, plants of various kinds, berries, and insects, preferring thick bushes to any other localities. It seldom moves more than forty or fifty paces, and scarcely ever strays from the shade of the woods to open spots; it holds out for some time before the hounds, and flies to the nearest tree. In the winter it digs long burrows under the snow. In California these birds are shot from the trees with a small rifle, and they are also chased by the help of dogs—their flesh being in great request, and considered to resemble that of the Hazel Grouse (Bonasia sylvestris).

Captain Beechey brought home several of these birds, but the females all died, and of the males which were presented to the Zoological Society, scarcely one survived.

Since this time several others have been imported to different parts of Europe, and two pairs brought by Deschamps laid and hatched a numerous brood—other experimenters have been equally successful.

GAMBEL'S PARTRIDGE.

GAMBEL'S PARTRIDGE (Lophortyx Gambelii) resembles the species last described in its general appearance, but has the black patch on the face larger, and only a very small portion of the brow is white. The back of the head is bright reddish brown, streaked with light yellow. All its hues are brighter and more glossy than those of the Californian Partridge.

THE CALIFORNIAN PARTRIDGE (Lophortyx Californianus).

"It was late in June," says Coues, "when I arrived in Arizona, where I heard that this Partridge was especially plentiful. In my first day's sporting I stumbled, so to say, over a covey of young poults that were just escaped from the egg, but the nimble little creatures ran and concealed themselves with such wonderful celerity, that I could not catch a single one. I thought that I had mistaken for them the Oreortyx pictus, and wondered to find young ones of these so late in the year. But it was not yet late for Gambel's Partridge, as I found several broods in August only a few days old. In the following year I observed that the old birds had paired by the end of April, and at the beginning of June I saw the first young ones. I would also notice that breeding goes on rapidly in the months of May, June, July, and August, and that probably two or possibly three broods are hatched in one year. The greatest number of poults in one brood are, as far as I could learn, between fifteen and twenty-six, the smallest from six to eight. On the first of October I found some half-grown young, the greater number were already nearly or quite as large as their parents, and so fledged that they might well attract the attention of a sportsman. As long as the young brood require their parents' care they keep together in a small collected flock, and if this is threatened each little chick runs away so quickly and squats in some convenient place that it is very difficult to induce them to rise. If this can be done, the covey fly all close together, but usually quickly alight on low branches of trees or bushes, but often also on the ground, and here they generally sit, sometimes stiffly in a heap, and while they think they are well concealed, allow themselves to be approached within a few paces. Later in the year, when they have reached their full growth, they more seldom take to the trees, become more cautious, and are approached with greater difficulty. The first intimation that a covey is near, is given in a single note, repeated two or three times, then follows a rustling of dry leaves, and the whole troop hasten, as quickly as they may, yet one step farther and then all rise with a whirring noise, and disperse themselves in different directions."