The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1890-12-27
TANNING a FLOCK Of ouAIls.
BuckwheAt aud Gradual Advances Con.
qucr the wiidne~~ of tho Birds.


Several weeks ago Mrs. ID. N. Snyder
| Of jefferson township saw n lot oil
| quails busting themselves under some
currant bushes in the back end Of her
| garden. says the Scranton. Pa, CORE
spondent OF the N. Y. Sun. The birds
| looked so happy aud contcntcd that
she thought IL would be too bad TO dis
turb them. SO sherelurned 70 the house
without pulling the weeds out OF q
patch OF onions that she had gone
there for the purpose OF doing. In an
hour or SO the qn,tlls had disappeared
J in the tall timothy of the adjoining
meadow. and Mrs. Snyder scattered
some buckwheat around where they
had been wnllowing On the follow
ing day the birds came there again,
gobhcd up the buckwheat. and had "A
good time. Every day tor week or
so Mrs. Snyder scattered grain among
the bushes for the qnails TO feed on,
aud the birds soon got so that they
looked for food in the garden as regn-
larry rs they did for resting place ut
night out Ia the woods. back of the
big meadow lot.
One morning the kind-heartch woman
forgot 10 throw the buckwhcat. but the
quails reminded her of her negligence
by appearing ut the usual hour and
making a great fuss and noise because
there wasn't ANY grain ia the garden
for them TO pick up. Mrs. Snyder let
| the birds hunt for other kinds OF food
that day. and for several mornings
after that she didn't fail TO give them
u good feed of buckwhcat. Then she
missed Il morning on purpose To see
how the quais would act when they
didn't tind any grain near the curraut
bushes, watching from sccond-story
window for them TO make their APP
pearance.
Promptly on time the whole 1ocl,
crept under the garden fence from the
meadow. ran among the bushes. and
began TO dodge aud iluttcr about where
they had been In the habit of finding
the buckwheat. When they had
searched long enough 10 learn that no
grain had been put there for them the
birds piped in low tones. 1uttered un-
easily. scattered into the vegetable
beds. and appeared To be very much
disappointed. In II little while the
quails gave up the search. assembled
under the currant bushes and went To
busting themselves in the soil. Mrs.
Snyder counted fourteen in the flock
and then she went downstairs. got u
basinful OF buckwheat. and tiptoed her
way into the garden. When she had
got as near TO the quails as she could
without soaring them Mrs. Snyder
flung "A handful of buckwheat toward
the quiet little llock Ii fell among
them and they all scampered under
the fence ;aid went out OF sight la "a
hurry. Then she threw some more
of the grain on the ground where they
had been and secreted herself behind
row of peavines. Presently one OF the
birds ventured TO crawl under the
fence into the garden. Ii soon found
the buckwheat. and set to filling It's
crop aud at this the other birds took
courage filed from their hiding places.
aud went to picking up the grain ms
though each was determined to get its
share.
From her place of conccalment Mrs.
Snyder nung handful OF buckwheat
into the mir so that it fell into the midst
OF the flock. Ii scared the birds lit
tie, but they quickly resumed their
feeding. and Mrs. Snyder began to
whistle 10 them. iiinging more grain
into the air as she wnisted. That ex-
cited their curiosity just enough to
make them look up for a moment. and
Mrs. Snyder empticd the basin and
stole away without letting the birds
see her. She fed the quais in this way
for few days. gradually got them
used TO her whistle and voice. and let
them get sight of her by degrees. In
side of month from the time she first
saw the birds in the garden she had
them SO we'll tanned that they lluttered
cut OF the meadow whenever she called
hem. ate In her presence. and did not
seem To fear her at all. Since then
Mrs. Snyder has taken good deal OF
comfort with her strange little flock.
and she said the other day that tho
confidence the birds have Ia her pays
her many times over for all the trouble
she has made herself in getting the
wild little creatures to be rs tame rs
they are.