The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1905-02-11
BIRDS THAT DISAPPEAR
Magic Trick Of the Little California
PartridGes.

Magic Trick Of the Little California
Partridges.
Young birds have to be taught a
great many things, but there are some
feats which they know without instruc-
ton. In a large open-air cage in the
New York Geological park is covey Of
six California cartridges, about one
third grown, and their little bantam
stepmother. She dozes at one end of the
range or Walks slowly about, pecking
among the blades Of grass. The small
sextet keep close together, and If we
watch them for several minutes we
will see some of the things which must
have come to them as their feathers
and little bills CAMERON the egg.
Unlike the hen, they are suspicious
Of your every movement, but in short
time they forget that you are not a
lifeless tree trunk or other harmless
object near their cage. They select a
sunny SPOT, always on the dead leaves.
never on the green grass, and here,
after much cuddling and pushing, but
never a peep, they squat, usually in an
irregular circle with heads outward.
Unless there are dead leaves or some
similarly colored surface in their cage
they never settle down contentedly for
sun bath.
We watch them nestle close to the
ground and close their eyes; then some
movement on the part Of the hen may
attract our attention for moment, and
on looking back again we are amazed
to find the little birds have disappear
ed. It is fact that if we lose sight
of them even for short time the eye
at first refuses to distinguish them
from the dried leaves. Their little
backs are dull, dark brown In color.
broken by irregular fine white lines,
very much like the mold lines on fallen
leaves, while the lighter sides Of the
head, instead of being at all conspicu-
Gus, are exactly like the lighter shades
Of some old leaves, the imitation being
more perfect from the fact of the color
ing being thus broken up. Even the
little brush of appraised feathers in
their heads-hints of the beautiful re-
curved helmets Of the old birds-ap-
pear like small, frayed-out pieces of
grass or leaf.
: If we look toward them with half
closed eyes not trace of the birds is
visible. All appear sound asleep, and
the little heads sag drowsily to one
side, but at the slightest noise each
black bead of an eye is wide open and
six scurrying pairs of legs or rounded,
whirring wings, carry their owners to
the farther side Of the cage, as If an
unfelt wind had suddenly caught up
some of the dead leaves before us and
tossed them along the ground. 1t is all
a beautiful bit Of magic, which never
becomes less wonderful, no matter how
many times we witness it.
When we see how wonderfully these
little cartridges are protected from dan
ger by their color we cease to wonder
how the mother partridge keeps hidden
during her three weeks vigil on her
nest. The male bird is indescribably
beautiful-dotted and slashed, stained
and shaded with different tones Of COL
or, some of his feathers looking almost
like the scales Of fishes. His head Is
decorated by two interlacing white
lines and the tall helmet Of beautiful
recurved feathers, which, added to his
black throat, make him a very con-
spicuous. bird. We find that his little
wife while to certain degree sharing
many of his beauties, has them in such
subdued tones that they do not make
her at all noticeable among surround
ings Of dried grass and weeds.
The young birls are still further pro-
vided with means Of escape from their
many enemies, for almost from the
moment they are Matched their little
wing feathers shoot out, and when only
a day old they can flutter a full yard
into the air. I'm fact" says G. Will.
liam Beebe in the New York Tribune,
II have known one of these hardy
chicks to fall out of a nesting box
eighteen inches from the floor, and
somehow get back alone on the day of
Matching. Imagine a common chicken
attempting thisv