Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-12-16
TANNING A FLOCK or ouAiLs.



Qurr the Wild Birds.
Mrs. d. n. SNYDER. Of Jefferson town.
ship, saw lot of quails busting them
selves under some currant bushes in the
back end OF her garden. The birds look.
ed so happy and contented that she
thought il would be too bad to disturb
them, so she returned to the house with
ont pulling the weeds out of a patch of
onions that she had gone there for the
purpose of doing In an hour or so the
quails had disappeared in the tall timo
thy of the adjoining meadow, and Mrs
Snyder scattered some buckwheat around
where they had been wallowing. On
the following day the bird: came there
again. gobbled up the buckwheat, and
had good time. Every day for IA week
or so Mrs. Snyder scattered grain among
the bushes for the quails to feed on, AMI
the birds soon got SO that they looked
for food in the garden as regularly rs
they did for resting place at night out
in the woods, back Of the big meadow
lot.
One morning the kind hearted woman
| forgot to throw the buckwheat, but the
| quails reminded her Of her negligence
| by appearing at the usual hour and
making a great fuss and noise because
| there wasn't any grain in the garden for
| them to pick up. Mrs. Snyder let the
birds hunt for other kinds of food tina,
day, and for several mornings after that
she didn't fail to gre them good feed
| of buckwheat. Then she missed morn
| ing on purpose to see how the quails
would act when they didn't find any
grain near the currant bushes, watching
from second story window for them to
make their appearance.
Promptly on time the whole flock
crept under the garden fence from the
meadow. ran among the bushes and be-
gan to dodge and flutter about where
they had been in the habit of finding the
buckwheat. When they had searched
long enough 20 learn that no grain had
been put there for them the birds piped
in low tones, futtered uneasily, scatter
ed into the vegetable beds and appeared
to be very much disappointed. In a lit
tie 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 down stairs.
i got a basinful Of buckwheat and tiptoed
her way into the garden
When she had got as near to the quails
as she could get without soaring them
Mrs. Snyder flung Il handful of buck
wheat toward the quiet little flock 1t
oil III
pered under the fence and went ont of
sight i'll a hurry. Then she threw soi.le
more Of the grain on the ground where
they had been and secretcd herself be-
hind row of pea vines. Presently o:;e
Of the birds ventured to crawl under Il Z
fence into the garden 1t soon found
the buckwheat and set to filing its crop.
and at this the other birds took courage,
filed from their hiding places and went
to picking up the grain as though each
was determined TO get its share.
From her place of conccalment Mrs.
Snyder flung handful of buckwheat
into the air SO that it fell into the midst
of the flock. 1t scared the birds little.
but they quickly resumed their feeding.
and Mrs. Snyder began to whistle Ia
them, flinging more grain into the air
as she whistled. That excited their curl
osity Just enough to make them look NJ
for a moment. and Mrs. Snyder emptied
the basin and stole away, without let
ting the birds see her. She fed the quail
in this way for a few days. gradually
got them used TO her whistle and voice,
and let them get sight of her by degrees.
Inside of a month from the time she first
saw the birds in the garden she had them
so well tanned that they fiuttered ont OF
the meadow whenever she called them,
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 the confidence the birds
have in her pays her many times over
for all the trouble she has made herself
in getting the wild little creatures to bl
as tame as they are. Scranton pa Cor
New York Sun.