The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-06
ODD STORIES ABOUT BIRDS.
Where Wild Ducks Come when You
Whistle-A Novel Breed of Quails.
From the New York Sun


Whistle--A Novel Breed of QuaiIs.
From the New York Sun.
An amateur naturalist, who returned
home from a trip South the other day, in
relating his experiences to a reporter. said
that two of his observations seemed to be
of nature to interest the readers of the
Sun:
zone was new or rather a hybrid breed
of quails," he said. "In tht southern part
of South Carolina and about forty miles
north of Savannah lies an unfenced tract
of land, $1,000 acres In extent, that has
been turned into a game preserve by lot
of sportsmen, of whom the majority are
citizens of New York. They found there a
breed Of birds known as the Florida quails.
They were a smallish bird that would get
up before the dog to a hight of six or
eight feet and then fly away In line as
straight as q stretched string. II was as
easy TO kill them right and left as to pot
chicken. They were "a very nice bird on
the table--all that any one could ask for,
In fact; but the ease and certainty with
which they were killed made them I'M
desirable in the eyes of the club men,
Now the Virginia quail, as all gunners
know, Is a different sort of bird especially
IN the older parts of the state. where they
are shot regularly every season. When
they get up they may rise fifteen feet. and
1t may be thirty and then away they go
like bullet from a rife. To knock down
couple of them-that's sport. So the club
men determined to stock their preserve
with the Virginia quails and some hun
dreds, perhaps thousands, were brought
down and turned loose.
THAT was begun about eight years ago.
Now, although the Virginia bird Is larger
than his Florida cousin, he took kindly TO
the society of the little one--in fact, mar
ried her and raised a family. And you
will have to travel far to find a race to
beat those hybrids. The Florida mother
was, as said, unsurpassed on the table,
and the hybrids have inherited her good
qualities. The Virginia father bird was
a bullet In the air and the hybrids have
inherited his wings, and even improved on
them They are not so large as the vir-
ginia bird, but where he fed with whfr
they disappear with a zip.
Next to the hybrid quails In interest
are some of the waterfowl of Port Tam
pa. Port Tampa is a collection of piers,
but there Is hotel built on piles that are
dressed in sewer-pipe trousers to keep the
teredo away. No shooting is allowed
around the grounds or the piers, and, OF
course, not little stuff Is thrown from
the hotel that is good food for ducks, pei
leans, and guIls. Accordingly these birds
como about the hotel In flocks, and not on
ly are they without fear of the people
there. but they have learned TO come for
food when-any one whistles for them as IL
for a dog.
AT first II seems as II the birds come
as readily to the call of one person as OF
another. but the fact is that two or three
people about the hotel are on speaking
terms with them. The birds know their
voices, and are plainly very friendly with
them. At an old boat landing stage the
pelicans gather dozen at a time. and
sitting there in the sun preen their feath-
ers and scratch their ribs with their long.
ungainly looking bills. The fact that a
lot Of people are standing six feet away
is in no way disturbing to them unless
some unmannerly fellow pokes them with
cane. In that event the bird gives the
intruder a white-eyed look of astonish-
ment and utters a protest IN voice that
is so gentle and delicate as to make one
wonder where la the world such an un-
calmly bird got it, Then II 1ops It's way to
safety beyond the piers. II undisturbed
the pelicans often pillow their heads on
their backs and take a nap but In that
position they are quickly observed by the
tourist, who thinks ID is fun to make trou-
BILE for quiet folks, and they are quickly
shared by cane-croolS and sent fiappine
to the water.
"Only the smaller ducks come about the
hotel, but they are exceedingly beautiful
and graceful in their movements, while
the gulls In their dancing flight are OF
endless interest. No one has tried 10 teach
the birds to come to hand for food IL
Is said but II Is plain that any one with
knowledge and tact and love might estnb-
lish an acquaintance there that would en-
able him 10 write most interesting story
about our feathered brothers afoat''