The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1878-03-21
Josh Billings on Birds.
THE QUAIL.

The QtAiL.
= The quail il a game bird, about one
size bigger than the robin, and so sud
den that they hum when they fly. They
have no song, but whistle for music;
the tone liz solitary and sad. They are
shot on the wing, and man may. be
good in arithmetic, fust-rate at parsing,
and even be able to preach acceptably,
but if he amt studied quail on the wing
he might as well shoot at a streak of
lightning in the sky as at quail on the
go.
Briled quail, properly supported with
ielleys and Champagne Charlie, IL
just the most difficult thing in my hum
BILE opinion, tow beat in the whole his
tory ov vittles and something to drink.
l am no gourmand, for [ ken eat
bread and milk five days out of seven,
and smak my lips after get thru, but
if am asked to eat Drilled. quail by
friend, with judishous accompaniment,
I blush at fust, then bow my head, and
then smile sweet acquiescence-in other
words always quail before such a re-
quest.
THE PARTRIDGE.
The partridge IL also a game bird.
Their game il tow drum on log in the
spring ov the year and keep both eyes
open, watching the sportsmen. Par
tridges are shot ON the wing, and are as
easy to miss az ghost IL. 1t is phun
enuff tew see the old bird hide her young
brood when danger IL near. This must
be seen; it can't be described, and make
emmy body believe it.
The partridge, grouse, and pheasant
gridiron natural enuff to have been
born there. Take a couple of young
partridges and pot them down, and serve
up with kind of chorus, and they beat
the ham-sandwiches you buy on the
Camden & Amboy Road S7a per cent. L
have eat these lamentable New Jersey
ham-sandwiches, and must say that |
prefer couple of Eastwood chips, soak
ed in mustard water, and stuck together
with Spaulding's glue.
THE WOODROW.
The fust thing yer generally see ov Il
woodkok IL a whizz, and the last thing
whirr. How so many ov them are
shot on the wing is a mystery to me, for
it IL quicker job than snatching pennys
oph a red-hot stove. | have shot at
them often, but never remember ov my
killing one ov them yit.
They are one ov the game birds, and
menny good judges think they are the
most elegant vittles that ware fethers.
THE GOsLIN.
The goslin IL the old goose's young
child. They are yeller all over, and az
soft az ball of worsted. Their foot liz
wove hole, and they kan swim az easy
az drop of kastor-oil on the water.
They are born annually about the 18th
of May, and never waz known to die
naturally. If a man should tell me he
saw a goose die natral deth, Iwouldn' i
believe him under oath after that, not
even if he -swore he had lied about see
ing goose die.
The goose are different in one respect
from the human family, who are sed tew
grow weaker and wizer, whereas Cos
lin alwus grows tuffer and more phoolish
| have seen goose that they sed was
SO years old last June, and didn't look
an hour older than one that was only II
The goslin waddles when he walks,
and paddles when he swims, but he new
er dives like duck out of sight in the
water, but only changes ends.
The food Nv the goslin is rye, corn,
oats and barley, sweet apples, hasty
pudding, succotash, and billed cabbage,
cooked potatoze, raw meat, wine, jelly,
and turnips, stale bred, kold hash, and
buckwheat cakes that are left over.
They amt so particular as sum pholks
what they eat, won't git mad and quit
if they kant have wet toast and lam
chops every morning for breakfast.