The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-10-26
The Partridge Furnishes Finer.
Sport Than Any Quail.
IS MORE DIFFICULT TO HIT
Lies Better TO the Dogs-sone Laws
-nd Suggestions for Their Better.
ment ~ Open Season Begins
Soon and Lasts Too Long.
BY Dwight w. Huntington.

migratory and fly In large nocks and 70
long distances even crossing the Medi-
teIranean The American partridges are
mono of them migratory. Although they
have been known to move short dis
tances In certain places they are often
found year after year in tho same field
Or at least at the Same farm. In size.
the quail are always much smaller than
the partrtdges. a matter OF some inter
est to sportsmen.
The partridges has strong large bill.
that OF the quail is email and weak.
There is difference In the shape OF the
wings: the number OF feathers and the
lansth Of the tail. The Bob White. as
our bird is now called III popular orni-
ti1oloEy. has always been partridge IN
Virginia and the South. and in the
Northern and Western States. 1t has
been the fashion to call IT the quail:
The pathological union has settled the
matter and there are no quail IN the
American check list.
The other American partridses which
IRE found exclusively on the Pacific
coast and Rio Grande country and from
Texas to the Pacific have always been
known in the alternative as Quails or
cartridges, the partridGes or quail Of
California, tho scaled quail or partridge
etc.
The beautiful bird of Arizona and New
Mexico is always spoken OF correctly as
Gembels cartridges.
The American partridges, Bob Whites.
were formerly distributed from New hn-
gland to the Gulf States and West TO
Eastern Kansas and Nebraska Win Inc
e:nigrant they have been moving sun
further to the West and Northwest and
i 49,, 3p~,f rolH
there were none a few years ago. AT
tenpts have been made with some sue
cess to introduce these birds into Utah.
California. Oregon and Washington. ana
see no reason why they sAouio not GO
exceedingly we'll on the paclic coass
when the country is closely settieo anu
the yerrlin destroyed. These paFuiuses.
are terrestrial birds and are tiie5e
EXPOSED TO tic ravages of the predatory
aniroals which ara found in al! new
countries The native partridges on Cal
iforria and the Southwest arc also 'eI-
,estr;al birds but they are extremely
alert and great runners. They get uh-
der fun Roadway on their legs vain
wonderful alacrity. They also go IN
large tiochs and are always on me iooh-
out for an enemy
The Bob White is for m my reasons the
hest ra-nee bird i'll America and am M
4ciir,e6 TO say he is the best game pro
~ the world. He performs We'll before
,.oes and flies very rapidly, presenting
difficult mark. He is certainly better
ga,lla bird than the imported pleas-
ants or the cartridges Of europe, a no l.
.,oes without saying from my point OF
view that the birds which are shot over
dogs are all superior game birds to those
shot from a1nbusil-ihe ducks ana Inc
shore-birds or waders.
The partridge thrives best in riviliza-
ton and when not too much prosecuted,
Increase rapidly in WE'LL cultivated adls-a
:ricts They can stand very cold YEA
Their. provided the snow be not so deep
is to deprive them of their food ard II
Is the practice on some farms and AT the
club preserves in the Northern States TO
furnish food for these birds during heavy
snow storms. A few brush p heaps anu
few shocks of corn left standing ana d
little grain scattered under SUCH snellsr
will do much towards saving the b'rcs
In a severe winter. One Of the duties OF
the game committee OF The Nyaiioaneh
Club on Long Island is to make ar.
rangements for hiring the planting or
patches of grain to be left standing
to supply the birds with food.
VERY PROLIFIC.
These partridges are very. prolific.
There are usually from twelve TO fifteen
0ccs in nest and often more. Many
.
pair will produce two covies in year.
1t is certain that il the first covey is de-
ntreyed they will nest again. 1t Is re-
markable with what rapidity they will
become abundant in places where they
have been almost eXterminated during
a hard winter. In northwestern ONO
some years ago after a storm 1t turned
very cold and a thick crust of Ice formed
on top of heavy SNOW. Many birds on
l,,c y,,,- jarnrife shooting. grounds
We're imprisoned and the birds persisted.
Mnere / had shot dozens Of birds IN a
day one year, the next autumn found
,rt one small coveS of eight or ten blrds
in two days Of industrious tramplns.
Tile legislature was appealed TO ana
law providing close period OF several
N.als was passed and. to the credit OF
the sportsmen Of the State, it was opeyea
with the result that the birds were again
abundant at the end of the close time
aud have been fairly abundant in ONO
ever since. The legal season Tor par
fridge shooting WAS formerly too long:
IA most of the States, beginning i'll Sep-
te,rnber or o lob T and las ing NTH Marca
OF April. This enabled the market gun
ncrs to5ishoUt the birds when the sno"
MAS Oh the ground and since partrldses5
Are found quite close together, It was not
Gnusuai to kill an entire coyey at SIN
gle discharge OF the gun.
Trapping, too was very common long
after laws were passed prohibiting 1t and
entire coveSs were taken in this way
Ii, q number OF the States. New Hamp-.
yttre. Vermont, Maryland. Iowa and
tome others. the season opens september
list. In one or two States the date Is,
August 18th. Entirely two carly in each
fase since the birds are not larger than
s,,arrows In August and September ana
many OF them unable to fly. have seen
lecond brood birds not much larger than
lparrows as late as October in Ohio, In
aiaaa and Illinois and when shooting
chickcnsin Kansas in September. ] saw
many partridges far too small TO shoot
n sixteen States and Territories the par
ridge opens October lst or later in that
n,nnth and in sixteen States and the Dis
1ac,s OF Columbia the season begins in
November The date in Kansas is now
re.ceI,ohe, lst In Delaware and North
nalota the shooting of birds is prohibi-
rod until 1905 and in Wisconsin and Utah
,ntii 1908 and in Colorado at all times.
s,,c,, laws in the Western States would
.naicate that the birds were being IN
A.