The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-10-28
ALBINO BIRDS AND BEASTS.
Animal CdriosIties of the Southwestern


Deserts.
White quail have been known here
since 1877. That year one was seen in
central California. and another was
seen in the Vale de las Palmas. fifty
miles below San Diego, where it lived
for three years and where many efforts
were made to capture it alive, but in
vain. Scores of people saw it. Ii was
pure white, with eyes of a pinliish hue,
but not a shade of any other color up
on it. In 1881 the writer saw five other
white quail few miles further south,
at the Real del Cantillo. Four of these
were pure white One had a feather
in each wing that was of a dark brown
color The little band all had eyes of
the same color as the other quail with
which they ran. Their haunts were
found, a place cleared, and daily ground
wheat. barley, rice. sage. cracked corn
and seeds were scattered where the
quail came for water A hiding place
was made in the thick brush adjoining,
where the writer often hid in order to
watch them as they came daily
for their rations Often would they
come within two or three feet of the
one watching them, unaware that they
were almost in reach of human hands.
All attempts to snare, trap or catch
them alive proved unavailing, though
an old Mexican spent much time for
two years in trying to trap them Four
years ago. on the mountain side of the
great valley of the Colorado, two
others were seen. All of these but
two, one with pinkish eyes, and one
with dark feather in each wing. re-
sembled closely their associates in gray
or brown. They were always to-
rether, and seemed to take the same
interest in the new broOds that the
other quail did. | could never learn,
though | watched them carefully for
months, whether the white quail
nested and raised their young or not
When living in a band OF twenty-five
or fifty in the spring they seemed to
care for the little ones the same. The
quail of the Pacific coast. though about
the size, is an entirely different bird
from the bob white" quail of the
east
1t is said. and generally found to he
be true. that the rattlesnaka is bound
to be of the same color as the ground,
brush and rocks where it lives In the
oal-black loan of Vallecitos | found
them almost jet black, the diamond
shaped spots on their backs and sides
being lined with white. In the deep
red colored soils Of the iron regions
found them red. the lines OF the dia-
monds being jet black In the yellow
clay hills they were as yellow as ocnre,
the lines on them being nearly red
On the peninsula OF san Quentin next
10 the Pacific. one hundred AID twenty
miles south OF san Diego, ! found a
pure white rattlesnake, with the ex-
ception OF the very small. fine lines Of
black that marked the diamond spots
on the BODY Riding along on the very
brink OF the ocean my mule suddenly
stopped and refused 20 so on or TO turn
around. BIZ her actions knew that
rattlesnake was near | aIighted and
in the deer trail. just ahead OF ny
mule, there lay the snake, whittier than
the oceans sands. in fact almost rs
white as the snow The air was cool,
the snake stupid ] cut forked stick,
which l placed just behind its head.
took Z sill1en cord and put lis moose
around the neck o. the snake and sooa
he was inside q tn can which ear
ried fo- the purpose y hen ] -eachei
my camp at night changed the white
beauty from his til home into jar Of
alcohol. 10 be looked 81 and To become
The wonder OF scores wao never before
saw white rattlesnahe- ] have seen
many that were little graz almost
white bat none jus. like uaE little