The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-06-08
Gram ~ THE NORTHWEST.
Arnty Of the Dir,is to Withstand se,sre
winters Demonstrated

Reports from Michigan. Wisconsin ard
Minnesota show that the Quail In tho south
ern parts OF thoes States ~interst will; in
the northern parts there are no quail win
ter ~ summer.
Tho hardness n the birds has proved a
surprise. az In western Wisconsin and
eastern Minne-ota the snowfall was the
heaviest In years. In January II was the
belief that the qnail would 10 almost ex-
terminated.
Ia thai month cams the iind a snow
that L. the most deadly to %RruInd-hird life
soft and continuous until = depth n
nearly a foot on the level was reached, then
IA Sigh, rus, In temperature followed by .
drilling rnin, which wet the snow thor
oushly. then a fall and a hard freeze, con-
vartins tho snow surface into solid loo.
roofing over the particles beneath.
When a storm Of this Lind comes TN
birds take shelter undef busher. but he
snow finds them and covers them. When
the 'reNze follows their only recourse IL 20
tunnel rhclr way 10 tho upper air and the
quail Il often not strong enough to make
n way through tho frozen crust with it's l. ak.
An Imprisoned fock takes turns in ham
mcr'ng at the crust. bur even II thcv gain
their liberty, coming out one 10y one through
a lolo Iust largr enough 10 permit ~ cgross,
they ind the,r feeding PLAYS almost i'm
penetrahly covered and hac a strong
chsncc of starvation.
Now and then a kind-hearted farmer
throws out wheat or chicken feed near his
barn. tut generally the bevies are Lit TO
| lnua Out for themaalv,s and whether they
live or lie depends entirely upon the length
e time the frozen crtist lasts quail ar,
exceedingly daring and Ingenious In md
ing food under rich circumstances
Some loyts~ come up to tho ferruyards
and associate aiuicahly with the chickens.
70 r"os:. n" huge RraSmas and Cochins
regard tho Invasion with dislDSr. but cannot
catch the nirnhle little ~marauders who get
much mur> thar their share q the food
Until their small crops are flied
Other bevNs stay along tho edges OF
streams Hero the snow upon ono or tho
other bank "a ap' to b. lighter and r. drift
and leave tho ground bare, and It mus, ~
%stngulArly harrrn ground from which a
extract some nutrtmcnt.
Others feed uDon tho s'nl-cl'ngfng secds
~ weeds which project above tho crust
and others try their already sne bills along
the rrevices Of Old logs and trccS. booking
Tor worms which have Fnno a. fnr In from
| the cold az they can get.
The state ~ Wisconsin has been nj much
trouble and ~eSr-.fse a. Ia i@ quail. some
ypars ago there were not a dozen quail
a. a county they had ben shot, netted and
TRAPPED almost to extinction.
Some Thousands Of pairs vrN imported
from Oklahoma, q territory which does not
now permit the expectation OF quail. and
they eere turned loo-e In a cold and strange
country 20 de or multiply, as they saw TT
No effort was made ~ take carr Of them
M. a lev WINS nased fprbiddlns The shont-
ing 81 quail under heavy penalty for NJ"
years.
A. the expiration 81 that period they
had Increased mnrvelloualv Then The
farmer element In the Legislature er-
tended TIE period hy thrco years morn,
which hos two wars 70 III
II ~. quail are not oSterninstcd by
snrn" savase winter ther~ viii To rar rnr
Ia Wisconsin IN 1894, unless tho grangers
| again Intervene Tho farmer vants the
quail Jet alone because H. hi- opinion " In
q siaught"r- ~ potato huge u do"s eat
potato bugs, hui On" mlddlihg, w-u-orsan-
bod hon viii eat rs fnhrv Jugs - \ bevy
cf quail., ana a turkey viii cat more