Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-04-17
Curious Method OF Catching Quail.

The following passage, from o work
called "Sport and Work on the Nepaul
| Frontier" describes the manner OF cap.
turing quails in the East Indies: Trav.
cling one day along one OF the gladcs
have mentioned as dividing the strips
OF Jungle, | was surprised to see man
before me in q field of long atubble,
with cloth spread over his head and
two sticks projecting in front at an OBJ.
tuse angle to bis body. forming horn
like projections, on which the ends oi
his cloth, twisted spirally, were tied.
/ thought from his curious antics and
movements that he must be mad, but l
soon discovered that there was method
in his madness. He was catching quail.
The quail are often very numerous''i in
the stubble fields, and the natives adopt
very ingenious devices for their cap
ture. This was one / was now witness
ing. overing themselves with their
| cloth as / have described, the projecting
ends of the two sticks representing the
horns, they simulate all the movements
of COW or bull. They pretend to paw
up the earth, toss their make believe
horns, turn round and pretend TO scratch
Themselves, and, in fact, identify them
selves with the animal they are repre-
senting; and il is irresistibly comical 10
watch solitary performer go through
this al .fresco comedy. 1 have laughed
often at some cunning old herdsman or
shekarry. When they see you watching
them they will redouble their efforts. and
try TO represent an old bull going through
all his pranks and practices, and throw
you into commissions OF laughter.
Round two sides OF the field they have
previously put fine nets, and at the apex
they have large cage with a decoy
quail inside, or perhaps n pair. The
quail is running bird, disinclined for
| flight except at night in the daytime
they prefer running 10 using their
wings. The idiotic looking old COW, a.
we will call the hunter, has all his wits
about him. He proceeds very slowly
aud warily; his keen eye detects the
conveys OF quail, which way they are
going, his ruse generally succeeds won
! dcriuily. He In no more like n COW than
that respectable animal in like cucum-
ber; but he paws, and tosses, and moves
! about, pretends to eat, to nibble here,
and switch his tail there, and 20 on
maneuvers as to keep the running quail
away from the unprotected edges OF the
feld. When they get TO the verge pro-
tected by the net. they begin to take
alarm; they are probably not very GER
tain about the peculiar looking "old
COW behind them, and running along
the net, they see the decoy qunils evil
IDENTIFY feeding in great security and
freedom. The V-shaped mouth OF the
large basket cage looks invitingly open.
| The puZzling nets are barring the way,
Nand the "old COW is gradually clohinR
up behind. As the hunter moves along,
l should have told yon, he rubs two
pieces Of dry hard sticks gently up and
down his thigh with one hand, produc
! ing peculiar CTepitation, cracking
sound. not sufficient 10 startle the birds
into flight, but alarming them enough
TO make them get ont Of the way of the
"old cow" One boldcr than the others,
! possibly the most timid of the covey,
/ irritated by the queer cracking sound,
!. now enters the basket. the others fol
! lowing like flock Of Bheep; and once in.
/ the puzzling shape Of the entrance pre-
vents their exit. Not infreauently the
hunter bags twenty or even thirty brace
Of quail in one field by this ridiculous
ooking but ingenious method.