The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-07-04

I about the buildings IN the corral ana ID
! the potato and strawberry patches In
a few cases they have been accused OF
/ stealing strawberries and denounced as
/ a nuisance and a pest, but no one who
/ is acquainted with the habits of this
bird, and who knows what it eats
! through the eleven months Of the year
/ when no berries are available, viii ques-
/ ton the statement that the fruit taken
/ by the valleysquail is paid for many
| times over the best market price to be
| had.
Its Ways and Habits.
/ The valley quail has many interest
/ ing ways and habits not the least of
which is it's indifference to property
rights in any suitable nest it may hap
pen TO find. On one occasion ] found
meadOwlark's nest-built in the usual
! style. having a well-constructed back
/ some inches in height, which termi-
/ mated in a serviceable canopy. In this
/ nest were four eggs for which the
/ builders of the nest were responsible.
The nest was found on one Saturday.
On the following Thursday I went out
/ TO photograph il, and what did 1 find?
/ Nothing less than fifteen eggs in the
/ nest. An examination of this unusual
| condition of things disclosed the fact
! that in addition to the eggs of the
meadowlark which were there upon the
/ occasion of my last visit to the spot
/ there were also eleven quails eggs. But
/ the mystery did not end there. What
/ quail, however strenuous or ambitious
/ il might be, would, or could, lay eleven
! eggs in less than five days A closer
| inspection of the contents Of the nest
/ showed that two quails had shared the
/ honor of filling to the brim the nest
! they had ,cOnfiscated. How did I know
/ this? Five Of the eggs differed enough
| from the other skin the character Of
/ the spots, and shape, especially at the
/ small end-tO leave 10 room for doubt.
The Dixie Quail.
In the counties comprising the south
western part of the state is another
quail, which belongs to the same genus
as the California quail, but is a differ
| ent species. This is known as the
! Gambel partridge-lOcally, as the
| Dixie quail" It is a prolific breeder,
and is steadily extending its range into
| the adjoining counties. So rapidly has
| this species multiplied, in fact, that the
| people of the southwestern part of the
state have been obliged to ask the state
legislature for relief, and this has been
granted by extending the open sea-
SON. so that il is lawful to take these
birds during five months of the year.
1t is claimed that these quails do dam
age to gardens, fruit and grainfields.
This quail, as is the case with almost
any other useful bird that increases to
such an extent that the natural food
supply is insufficient, no doubt does
considerable damage to crops. because
| it must have food; and if nature does
| not provide the necessary supply, it
must be had from some other source.
Although this species is confined to
| the southern part of the state, that
| fact does not signify that it could not
/ be introduced with profit much farther
north. In fact that has been tested.
/ A number of years ago White & Sons
company planted these birds on Ante
| lope island, in Great Salt lake, and the
! birds appear TO do as well as the valley
/ quail in this region. -.
The Dusky Grouse.
2.-Of course, we have four varieties,
viz: the dusky or blue grouse, the gray
ruffed grouse, the Columbian sharp
tailed grouse and the sagehen.
/ The dusky grouse, owing to their
! tameneSs, are often called fool hens"
/ The gray ruffed grouse is the most in
| teresting of all our species because Of
| its curious habit of drumming, which
may be heard at all seasons of the
year. but is more attractive in the
! spring. Proceeding from the depths of
!
rolling out faster and faster till there
is simply a roar, this strange sound,
/ once heard as call, can never be for
fgotten OF. mistaken for any other. These
birds are not plentiful in our state, but
ARE. to be found in small numbers in
several counties.
4 The Sage Hen.
The sage hen is the most numerous
and the most widely distributed. These
birds however, are decreasing, owing
in part to the presence of large fiOcks
of sheep on their breeding grounds.
The sheep cover practically every inch
Of ground, and woe to any nest of eggs
or young that happens TO be in their
path. 1 have found sage hens nesting
over in Strawberry valley, and along
the stream Of the same name and
young fiOcks in the sagebrush reaches
of the eastern part of Iron county
The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse is
the form that is not infrequently re-
ferred TO as the prairie chicken" but
not only is it an entirely different spe-
cies, but it belongs to a different ge-
nus. We do not have the prairie hen
in Utah.
Ring-Necked Pheasants.
3-StH another game bird that be-
longs here-it belongs to the same fam
lily as the turkeys the beautiful ring
necked pheasant. known also, and es-
pecially in the northwest, by the name
of the Denny pheasant, after the man
who introduced it into this country
from China
These birds were also brought to
Utah by Walker brothers, who have
introduced into our state the English
sparrows, bob while, valley quail and
the pheasant under consideration.
These pheasants have increased quite
rapidly, and some complaints are heard
concerning their depredatiOns in the
wheat fields on the east bench and in
some other localities; they are also &C
cused of possessing a strong love for
garden peas and for the grain fed to
chickens-not hesitating, il is said. to
fly into the hen yard and whip any
fowl that objects to their presence
These pheasants are large, beautiful
birds. in gorgeous cOlOrs and with long,
graceful tails.
BRACE UP