The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-06-14
QUAIL CATCHING IN SYRIA.
Translated from the German, by n Citizen
OF Wheeling.

/ the brown ana Tue bIaCh' N"C "h'''i wv
ash. gray and the variegated. All these
varieties exhibit different qualities and
climate often makes change III their
size and color.
Quaila are birds of passage and live IN
tcIHperate or torrid zones; they can be
found in California as we'll as in Syria, in
Turkey and on the coast of Egypt IN
China through the centre of Europe and
even up in Sweden. They are very pro-
Life and their meat is of delicious flavor,
ON which account it has always been ca
rerIv sought after; especially during the
;nprnevings of theChildren OF Israel along
tho east cost of the bay Of Suez, mention
of which is made in the Bible.
While i'm many places these small crea-
lures are caught in nets and enticed with
bird calls or tracked by dogs, or held by
! q kind of rlutinum, the inhabitants of
the coast Of Egypt, of PhIlistia, Palestine
/ and Syria have an easy way OF securing
I 10 themselves countless hordes OF these
weary travellers.
Each wear. on a particular day and At
y certain hour, Just when harvest is
closing in the cooler climates, millions
of them start on flight across the Med
itterranean toward the coast of SYRIA,
to feast on the grain of the second mar
vest there, expecting to return soon TO
their Corner home. Yet, how few are
ever permitted to CRAFTY this ionged for
homewsrd passage!
They have just completed a
terrible journey, during which their
eyes were not closed day or night, neither
were their weary wings rested minute,
for there was not spot on which 10
alight. Not afew, unable to endure the
wearisome flight sink, tired of wing,
/ into the sea and become prey for the
fish: while their more fortunate compan-
ions have only landed safely to become
plumber for men. For days, the poor
Syrian peasantry have watched the coast
with the zeal of an astronomer, who does
not like to let escape any new beam oil
Lght which he has observed in the distant
horizon. There are yet other wardeIs
that lie awake with hungry Stomachs for
the comers-they are the ravenous jack
ais who know as well as man that they
/ will obtain fat morsels. Their bowling
/ tolls that the hosts are not far away; and
/ the sudden silence of the wolves is Il sure
/ Indicate, n for the warders to be on their
gpsrd The scent and hearing Of the
iackal are most sharp they discern the
Quail for two miles and with iavorlng
sea breeze even three and five miles.
The coming of tie quail IS
already announced by the loud clap
pinc of their wings-at first I'M
certain and dull, then louder and louder
until il develops into the noise of a
mighty thunder storm. Even on the
darkest nights this host of birds can be
seen. crowded wing to wing, as II cacn
exhausted one supported the other. The
watchmen, rs well as the jackal and
other blood thirsty animals of the desert,
begin to set IN motion and hide them
selves behind small mounds OF IN caves.
In the meantime the watchmen have re-
turned in haste and alarmed the peasan
try: fifteen minutes later the quails come
and fall by thousands upon the numbered
ground, which gives seCluslon 10 their
pursuers. he small animals of prey rush
from all sides upon the weary wanderers,
and many throat is Choked and many
breast sucked before the day dawns.
The day has hardly dawncd when the
people make their appearance to continue
the slaughter All the surrounding vii
lares along the coast become deserted by
Young and old, small and great, even the
sick and crippled turn out IN the richly
rcmunerative chase for which all pre-
paratiors have been made. Every parti
cipaut is prepared with the '1tzar' llzzar)
which is a large white square cloth, two
corners of which are fastened on either
wrist and the other two below the naked
knee spread out like wing. Generally
the men who compose the foremost line
of the hunting circle, cover the
heads with pumpkins followed out, and
having eye-holes therein, and the stem
left sticking out in front like birds bill
And they also tie easily bent twigs OF the
mulberry tree round their ncCkS, in order
to give the impression, by twilight, OF
large vultures with outspread wings
Thus prepared, they torn large circles,
about three miles long, with an opening
in front into which the qualIs are re-
ceived. With each such circle along the
coast. of which there are many, certain
men are connected, whose duty 1t Is TO
carry nets. The quailS become enclosed
by noisless and slow forward move
ment of all belonging to the circle with
their heads bowed and moved forward
and back. and their arms IN swinging
motion The terrorStricken quail. under
the imprison of being pursued by large
vuItures, fv from bush TO bush. Not n
moments rest do their pursuers allow
thcm: pressing continually upon them,
while those large bills and giant wings
n-odpca 81 INST terrifying nos'.
While the advance continues with
ra,nIsrity from every side, they
are all driven into an appoin' =
ed centre, which Is generally
large cluster of bushes of the myrtle
and mas. And when the quails nave
crcpt into them then the hunters gather
gather closely around. the bearers OF the
nets advance cautiously and spread 'h'th
over the bushes. and the quails caught
underneath are at once killed. 1t oiteh
happens that 5000 TO 10000 are caught
under a single net and equally DIVIDED
among the participants in the chase.
This chase continues about a week, our
ing which the inhabitants of the Syrian
coast allow themselves but little rest, and
the women at home busy themselves with
preparing fat and juicy Quails for those
engaged in the chase, such opportunities
only coming once year. when every
one allows his stomach to be completely
filed with the highly relished morsels.
Although many thousands of these birds
ara caupht in the hunt there is still