Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1889-11-28

SLOW tiapping motion OF the outspreao
wings let herself down, rather than flew,
t. the water. The moment she touched
the surface of the stream she dove, and
lett the duckling swimming on the water,
quite at home. This has since been con-
hrmed by other observers, and is paralleled
by some OF the arctic cliff nesting sea fowl.
The wood-d duck is common, and breeds
from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada.
Over much Of this space it is the only
member of its family seen in the summer,
ana hence Is known as the ''summer-
duck 1t can be domestlcuted. and
makes a charming ornament to the fan.
cier's yard.
Bob White extends his western wander
ings no farther than the dry plains. II
he crossed the Rockies to the Pacific coast
he might visit cousins, who, perhaps
would act coolly toward him, remarking o
as Californians sometimes do in regard to
the rest of the world, that ''he had no
style about him. for, though their dress
is after the same pattern as that of Bob
White, the sober brown hues and respect
able white neckerchief which characterize
him, are replaced in their case by far gay
er colors if not of richer material.
There are two species of quail in Cali
fornia, one belonging to the mountain
ley lands of the coast region. The latter
is by far the more common, and is the one
usually alluded to as the California quail
though its home name is valley quail
This beautiful bird is about the size of the
Eastern Bob White. Its general color is
lead gray, the wings and back CLOSED
with olive brown, and streaked with black
and white in very pretty way. The belly
is orange, fading into buff and finally into
white on the sides, each feather edged
with black. These are only broad desig.
nations Of color, which are varied and in
terblended in such way as to make the
bird one ofithe most striking and beauti-
full in our whole fauna. 1t lis the head, how.
ever, that is his chief glory. The forehead
is brownish yellow, with the shafts of the
feathers black; across the top of the head,
ith its ends floating backwar along the
sides of the neck and edged with black, il
a narrow filet Of white, enclosing the light
brown back of the head and nape; and
from the crown of the head, within this
brown patch, rises bunch of tall plumes
sometimes two, sometimes five or six
which curve forward and nod with q
proud and graceful motion of which the
bird seems distinctly conscious. His chin
and throat are black. margined with q
white band, which starts at the eye and
passes around the throat to the other eye.
The valley quail congregate in the grain
fields and along the roads of the cultivated
districts from the Columbia to Cape st.
Lucas, sometimes in such numbers as tc
be nuisance, but generally In small
coveys, which remain together except
during the breeding season, when the
pairs separate to find scheduled home, iu
the thickets. Their nests amount to moth.
ing, and the eggs are not chalk white like
those of the Atlantic coast species, but
more creamy in color, and marked with
drab and brown in great variety oI
spots and streaks. The ''song'' of this
quail, heard in spring and early summer
is hardly musical kuck- kuck -kuck -ka,
the first three notes rapidly repeated, and
the last prolonged with falling infection.
The rules of Eastern quail shooting dc
not apply well to this bird, which has o
very different behavior when hunted. II
does not lie well to the dog, but rum!
through the tall grass. and If wounded