Iron County news. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1890-189?, 1891-01-17
THE HABITS OF SOB WHITE
A sportman writes About ri. Experiences
with the Quail.


In studying the quail, says writer
In Hunting and Fishing, one cannot
fail to notice the almost complete
change Of habits in this bird which at
tends the transition from one season of
the year to another. In the spring and
summer the once shy and bevykeeping
Bob White becomes individualzed and
tame-we say individualized because.
although mated. man and wife are al
WAYS one flesh just as truly among
birds as among human beings. No
longer in flocks, Bob White turns up
everywhere under your feet in the
fields, especially IL you haunt the vi.
entity of his nest and brooding mate.
You will frequently see him running
along by the fence. or even venturing
out into the road, while his CHEEKY,
sweet song--for it is song albeit OF
but two notes-rings out again and
again on the sunny air
So tame and regardless of her own
safety does the female grow in the nest
ing season that not infrequently she
will allow herself to be almost trodden
upon before leaving the nest, and /
have known late-brooding birds in
grass meadows to sit fearlessly upon
their nest until cut to pieces by the re.
lentless knives of the mowing-machine
Young quail are perfect little me-
cromancers. Almost as soon as they
are out of the shell they seem to have
the power of making themselves in
visible ut the wave of n wand. Wher-
ever they go nobody can tell. The
4 L.. I...a
somehow they manage to vanish utterly
from the eye. Aud this is a trick which
they do not entirely forget as they
grow older. 1t takes a sharp-eyed
sportsman to see a bevy of quail be.
fore they rise, even il the dog is
pointing right at them and the grass is
rs short as 1t is on a lawn.
By August Bob White begins to take
on different character altogether
from that he has displayed during the
spring and summer months. He ceases
to perch himself in conspicuous places
and sing for the delight of himself and
his friends, both feathered and unfeath-
cred. He no longer makes excursions
into exposed and dangerous localities,
nor does he trust to the friendliness of
every human being who comes his
way. Gradually he begins to assemble
his family and nearest relatives into a
little community conducted on the
simplest communistic principles. and
animated by one all-pervading desire
to get through the terrible open season
without being brought to griddle.
That Bob White has developed re.
markable powers for realizing this de-
sire every sportsman will readily ac-
knowledge. No bird can place so
many yards between itself and the gun
in two OF three seconds as the lively
little quail. 1t takes remarkable
quick shot to get in both barrels effect
lively at bevy of quail. even when the
birds rise in the open and the sports
man has an unobstructed view. The
almost irresistible tendency is to fire
at the thick of EN-" but, besides being
unsportsmanlike, this method is gen.
orally ineffective also; for, while it may
now and then cripple bird, it oftener
lets the whole bevy get away suscathed,
OF else sends two or three slightly
wounded birds into the cover to die
cruel and lingering death. The phi
losophy of this result is easy enough to
exlain, for, thickly as a covey of quail
may seem to the excited sportsman to
fly together when they are flushed.
calm observation will show that the in
tervals between the several birds are
almost nearly rs great as the spread of
a charge of shot at thirty yards. Thus
IL will be seen that il the center of the
charge falls in one of the intervals or
spaces, as it is just so much more like
ly to do as the space is larger than n
quai's body, the only possible chance
is that bird may be crippled by the
outer pellets, and even this chance is
small compared with the alternative.
which has been previously stated.
Therefore, my advise to the true sports
man In quail-shooting is to shoot ono
bird for each barrel; make clean kill
.or none at all. And if you are not
skillful and quick enough at first to
select bird for each barrel make sure
of your first shot only, for time, un.
ill you get so that you can drop your
bird quickly and neatly; then begin to
attempt your double on the principal
which has been laid down. / made a
practice of concentrating my attention
every time on what call the "laggard"
that is, the bird nearest to me when
the gun is raised, or If the bevy
crosses me instead of going straight
away it is the last bird in the line that
fire at. This rule applies to this use
Of both barrels. Select the laggard