The herald., 1897-10-10

yet be found in quantities greater
than Bob White can be found anywhere
in the east. Like Bob White, he cares
little for civilization, and it is not nee
essary to go far from the settlements t.
find him. He will eat grapes in the vine
yard within hundred yards of your
finest gun, but when you come to abridge
that distance to about forty or fifty
then comes the tug of war and you will
find you have a genius to deal with.
No other bird has such attractive sur
roundings OF scenery and climate and
much of the pleasure in the pursuit of
the valley quail comes from the refiec-
ton that ir. the east the fields are closed
and poor Bob White is often huddled up
to die beneath the frozen sleet. There
the wild duck has gone whizzng far
into the south, the meadow where the
sripe lately rose with defiant squeak is
1oored with ice, hard as rock is the
ground where the lordly woodcock late
ly fattened, while the ruffed grouse is
hidden far up among the dark branches
Of the pine instead of spring from
your path with obstreperous wing. But
here there is no such change, and the
brilliant slopes over which the quail
trotted with nodding plume in mating
time are as warm today, as bright with
sunshine but only little more somber
in shade. And when the rains have
come and brought the fern-like leaves
Of the alfileria springng in broad sheets
along the ground when hill and dale roll
under the soft winter sun in wavy lines
of green, then the hills have in them
charming setting for this bird. The ex-
pert from the east is quickly taken with
that, though, he may have his doubts at
first about the quality Of the game. One
makes him better acquainted with the
other until he comes to love both as no
one loves any other bird or scene. Mary
ore of the best settlers Of this country
has been captured by these charms,
many of the most erterprising of our cit
izeris, like the builders Of Coronado.
came here only to hunt this little bird
and were detained here by its charms.
And who need be ashamed Of falling
in love with land where earth, air ana
sky do their best to make life pleasant
on so many days, when in other lar'ds
one must hug the fire while the old dog
hunts iri dreams on the rug? To have
large flock of valley quail scattered in
good order on a hillside aglow with color
under the soft winter sun, while huge,
snowy mountains look down upon you
with a cold majesty that makes the
greer carpet Of the ground. seem all the
warmer. while from among the bright
red berries and green leaves Of the heter-
omeles the mocking bird rolls forth his
notes of spririgtime and love, and the
thrush, SO long silent, now finds his
liquid voice. where the carmne and pur-
pie of the trailing vetch warns the SOM
ber green of the sumac, will awaken ten
der sensations in the hardest breast.
When + came to California twenty-five
years ago to recover health it was very
different from now and seemed a prison
house but for the game that lived in its
hills so bright before sheep, fires anG
the plow had changed them so much.
The valley quail did more than any other
thing to break what to many would have
been deadly monotony, and many an
other has found life ard health through
this charming bird that would other