The morning news., 1899-05-17
SOME OF THE WAYS OF BOB WHITE
He Is an Intelligent Bird, and Does
Many Curious Things.
From the New York sun.


Grown birds of one family will not af-
filiate with another family. They get
mixed Occasionally when they are flushed
from the same field and happen to scatter
into the same cover but they are always
separated before sunset, each tribe gong
on it's own ground. Often a bevy which,
owing 10 its location is easily found will
be shot until not more than two members
are left. These will remain to themselves,
nor wiki they desert the neighborhood
in which they have been living. In TINS
way entire bevies are exterminated Ihe
quail is a bird of limited habits. Its
range. as it is called is circumscrlbed.
1t does not run more than mile in any
direction. Often it is restricted to half
mile. II loves it's own territory and re-
fuses to be dslodged 1t will night Tor
it's own ground. The imaginary lines
which divide its home from the homes OF
it's neiahbors are plainly marked.
Fierce battles sometimes occur when
bevy has accidentally strayed INTO the
range of another. In these engagements
cocks and hens take part with equal tury'
The blows administered by beak and wing
are severe The mortality is large. The
quail. when il imagines itself wronged, IS
as nugnacious as any game chicken that
ever slammed its spurs against looking
CLASSY The quail fights almost wholly
with its wings. 1t rises couple OF feet
from the ground when three yards from
IT'S adversary, The two bodies meet with
great force 1t follows that the heavier
bird is almost always the victor The
beak. or bill, is used only when the COM
batants have become too exhausted 10
1v. Two males doing battle to the death
Nf f,tta "a
complacent female or tribal inVaslon-are
oblivious to all sights and sounds.
They have the berserk madness. They
will not see a man who stands within five
feet of them. 1t is an easy matter to
C1rop a hat over one of them as it squats,
belly to the ground, it's round black eye
reddened and blazing with fury. watching
for a chance TO spring. When TINS IS
done and the hat is allowed to lie, the
other cock will strut in tiny circles, i'm
agining that it has knocked its foeman off
the world, staggering slightly from ex-
harstion. but preening its bloody feathers
in exultation. The other fellow. complete
Iy cowed by the dark, will flush the In
slant the hat is lifted and dash bltndly
away in the bright sunlight. 1t risks
masbing itself to death against a tree,
because 1t will travel fifty yards before
il can see at all clearly. The note given
by two bevies in combat is peculiar, nor
is il used by them at any other time. II
is a steady kissing, whistling noise, not
loud. but so distinct that it may be heard
a 100 feet away. A man may produce
a fair imitation of it by placing his tongue
against his upper front teeth and forcing
out the air easily. If a bevy be found
moving and hunter in concealment gives
this note. the birds will turn toward him
instantly and endeavor to find him, their
heads lowered and the neck feathers
standing straight, just as a gamcock's
feathers stand. The call is the quail word
for defiance.
1t is popular mistake to suppose that
a quail is bird of small intelligence. II
does things which transcends the bounds
of instinct. They belond to the realm of
reason. The most familiar of these is the
mother birds imitation of a broken wing
when a stranger-man or brute-draws
near her brood yet too young to fly. This
trick is common to all the females of the
tribe Ortyx Virginianus. and a very good
imitation it is. When the threatening foot
draws near each of the chicks makes
itself into ball not larger than the first
Joint of mans thumb and becomes part
of the ground itself II the mother does
not return they will remain in this posi-
ton for hours. She rises violently a yard
from the alien and falls within six feet.
Again she rises and again falls. One wing
only is used to aid her progress. The other
hangs limp and apparently broken at her
side. She will keep this up until her pur-
suer has been lured TO distance of 100
yards Then she will rise with trium-
phant whr and speed away into the under
brush. If the observer cares to pursue to
its conclusion one of the most tender and
beautiful things Of nature, he will return
to the point where the mother first became
visible and pace himself in hiding. In
little while. five minutes or so. he will de-
feet rustling in the grass and hear her
soft call II is rapid and clear and has
solicitude in il, II sounds "Tweet-tweett
Tweet -tweet" 1t asks: "Did he catch
any of you? Are you all here?" The little
ones answer in an almost exactly similar
way ana the family moves slowly off. the
mother in the lead and the youngsters fol-
lowing soberly In a bunch. In the tirst
Joy of reunion and before the shock OF the
peril is passed they are not permitted to
stray. In fifteen minutes, however all is
as il was.
Then you say you never can marry
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