The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1890-10-31
TANNING 4 FLOCK OF euaiLs.


Several weeks ago Mrs. D. N. Snyder
OF Jefferson township saw n lot of
quails busting themselves under some
currant bushes in the back end of her
garden. says the Scranton, Pa, corre-
s%pondent Of the N. Y. San. The birds
looked SO happy and contented that
she thought it would be too bad to dis
turb them. so she returned to the house
without 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 timothy of the adjoining
meadow. and Mrs. Snyder scattered
some b%uckwheat around where they
had been wallowing. On the follow
ing day the birds came there again,
gobbled up the buckwheat, and had a
good time. Every day Tor IA week or
SO Mrs. Snyder scattered grain among
the bushes for the quails to feed on,
and the birds soon got so that they
looked for food in the garden AS regu-
larry AS they did for a resting place at
night out in the woods, back Of the
biz meadow lot.
One morningthe 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
that day. and for several mornings
after that she didn't fail to give them
a good feed of buckwheat. Then she
missed a morning on purpose to SEQ
how the qnails would act when they
didn't find any grain near the currant
bushes, watching from n se~cond-story
window for them to make their an
pearance.
Promptly or time the whole flock
crept under the garden fence from the
meadow, ran among the bushes, and
began to dodge and ilutter bout where
they had been in the habif of finding
the buckwheat. When they had
searched long enough to learn that no
grain had been put there for them the
birds piped in low tones, tluttered un-
easily, scattered into the vegetable
beds, and appeared to be very much
disappointed. In IL little while the
quails gave up the search. assembled
under the currant bushes, and vent to
busting themselves in the soil. Mrs.
Snyder counted fourteen in the flock,
aud then she went downstairs, got Il
basinful of %buckwheat, aud .iptoel her
way into the garden. When she had
got as near to the quails as she could
without soaring them Mrs. Scvder
flung a handful of buckwleat toward
the quiet little flock. 1t fell among
thcn and they all scampered under
the renee and went out of sight in a
hurry. Then she threw some more
of the grain on the ground where they
had been and secreted herself behind Il
row of peavines. Presently one of the
birds ventured to crawl under the
fence into the garden. 1t soon found
the buekwheat, and set to filling its
crop. and Mt this the other birds took
courage, filed rom their hiding places,
aud went to picking up the grain as
though each was determined 10 get its
share.
From her place of conccalment Mrs.
Snyder flung a handful of buckwheat
into the air SO that it fell into the midst
OF the flock. 1t scared the birds n lit
tie, but they quickly resumed their
feeding, and Mrs. Snyder began to
whistle TO them, fingiug more grain
into the air rs she whistled. That ex-
aited 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 quails in this way
for n few DAYS ~urnInnliv rot than,