The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-06-08


beautifully shaped. slender vet power
ful, with a great eNpanSs of sharp I.
eIbowed wing. a small fierce head s.t
on massive neck. a hooked urlN ut I
great power and a round golden %"
that IL moments Uf anger or other yN- i
citemsut becomes almost black. The Il
birds legs are reddish and It's t1lon- F..
as sharp as needles. It, back. bre1s; .
and tail are OF pale slate blue. IN
der the wings 90 has white mars .lss. f.
l. is highly injel.iE % and luslsy has
proved that 70 Is readily domes;irl;si. .
He has possibly the only pair ~ blue
darters ever held in captivity.
Il i the eye OF this h1wS. next "a its
phenomenal speed. which makes &C. 80
fatal TO its chosen quarry. THIS organ
Is capable OF wonderful expansion or
contraction. There Is no way 20 as
certainins just what its range ~ vision
X, but II must be- practically limltiess.
l. is a vell-knOwu fact that the human
eve ! almost always incompetent 90
distinguish a CrOuchiug quail from the
surrounding cover. Many Sp1vt<meu
when their dogs were pointing. have
put in minutes trying to see the birds
before they rose. They failed. even
when the cover was comparatively
scant. The flying quail may he seen
Only ~ I@U TIE -EOullu - dh~ttuaFAt w
void OF cover. Even then. IL the earth
be freshly plowed. spotting the little
creature i no easy task. II = equally
fact that the blue darter Will discern
quail in hiding from a height Of goo
yards in the air. The cover above the
bird must De so thick that no vision
can pierce il or the hawk will dis
cover the hiding place and bite its
time. Ii does not Swoop Immediately.
merely because IL has difficulty iu TAX
ing things from the ground. II does no
good To pretend to swoop and SwerVe
above the frightened quarry with n
mighty roar of wing. because eXpev-
| fence. or instinct. or something. has
tauSht the quail that ia i absolutely
ISafe so long as IL lies still. The quail
is & logged bird when its mind T. bent
TO il. and Ii will often remain notion
less until a mans foot is about to- drop
on ii before it will rise. Indeed. young
quail. when cautioned by the mother.
have been stepped on and crushed into
the earth without uttering a sound.
When the blue dartsr discovers bsVy
picking its way over an open field %
can. OF course. make the birds Hush.
THE birds are without protection and
must take their chances in the air.
Under such circumstances one OF their
number Is doomed. \ miss 10y blue
darter when It has a fair showing Is
not common. The bevy Is then in the
utmost terror and breaks all II pieces
probably 10 remain separated all that
day. When the birds are hiding IN
good cover and the pirate lar overhead
distinguishes their brown little bodies
pressed fiat against the earth, while
the grass or bTiers form shield over
IL - "a
, patience. The darter will sail round
and round. swooping now and then IL
the endeavor TO brighten them out OF
their refuge, for two or even three
hours. This is a long time for a quai
20 remain quiescent, and frequently. %,
NERVES Overstrainsd. IL will endsavIr q
reach the woods, growing possibly no
more than fifty yards away. Generally
i;s efforts will prove fatal. The dartel
may have dined shortly before. hut q
will make its second capture with a.
much easerness and voraCity Us !;
made its first.
Even after It IL sorsed this haws
will continue the pursuit. Ii seem.
often 10 Kill quailS for the mere pleas
ure OF Eilling, being actuated ap
parently by desire 20 eXterminate tn,
particular bevy that is engaging its 1t
tel;ion. I; is a common thing Got
hunters 20 find the bodies OF quill!
slain by some gorsed darter and lef
20 rot where they fell. The manner o.
: The death may be always determined
by the talon marks, which are un.
. mista<able. often the darter. aftei
Selling lis prey. will tear off the helJ
with It's beak. II Is THIS desire for con
tinuous slaughter that makes II valu
able as n falcon. Il Is Iusley's habt
TO feed his birds literally before TAX
ing them into the field. He says tina
ii does not make them any the less
eager. and they are more apt to drol
the quail after II has been struck ans
return % hand. He will. however. per
mit either OF his birds to taste gam
T If Ii shows any disposition to- do so
, When once the massive beak is driver
: into a quail, the quarry i unfit 20
, any table purpose. out quails are -
! plentiful here. and IL is so easy to oh
. tain a bag OF them a; any time in sea
, son. that the loss o: one or more u u
J mo moment.
Both o. Insley's birds are males
They are now in their third year am
B. fully grown. He keeps them on tv,
e stumps IN the middle OF a grass 10
4 next 20 his house. They are fastene,
a 10 the stumps 10y slender steel chain
2 hooked % silver ring which zoe
around the leg jus above the foot
i Near the S.umps runs 2 little creek. q
z branch. aS = i called here and tn
. chains are long enough to- allow IN
a birds - descend AMI drink when the
Y are - disposed. They are never hood
L ed except when tssal into the field
Y NOR Is any bell attached - them. insle
g lSays that the bell va, a refinement q
o faIcnury for which there was never an
% use or excuse. The birds are name
= prosaicaiiv JACK and Bill. Their owne
n has threatened 20 change the names {
p. Dewey and Schlsy. bat has not don
. so. He = OF opinion that neither q
: the naval commands has done quit
: enough "a warrant him calling his pet