The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-04-05
GAME BIRDS
FOR COUNTY
Hungarian Partridge Among These
Ordered for Restocking Coun-
ty Preserves
BOB WHITE QUAIL ARE.
ALSO ON ORDER LIST
Their Ability to Withstand Cold
Weather and Hardships Led to
the Importation to This Coun-
try of the Larger Bird

As stated recently in the Herald the
Yakima county commissioners have
appropriated $4,000 to be used in the
purchase of game birds with which
to restock the fields and woods. The
great value of the Bob White quail
an an insectivorous bird and eater of
weed seds is we'll known. The gunner
appreciates their value from the
standpoint of game and also their ex-
cellence as an article of food. About
fifty pair of these birds were liberated
in the county last year, and when
the order for birds was sent east sew
eral days ago, provision was made for
considerable number of Bib White.
Hungarian Partridge Hardy
Another bird with the good qualit-
les of the Bob White, but twice as
large, is the Hungarian partridge,
which is stronger and harder and
with the added ability of withstand
ing cold weather and hardships Sew
eral hundred Of these birds which
are more prettily colored than our
quail. have been ordered for liberia
ton in various parts Of the valley.
The sides of the head and throat
are of q light reddish brown, the top
Of the head Is brown with light yellow
stripes. Across the grey back there
are a number Of rust brown stripes
extending to the lower part Of the
body. The wings are brown and
niottled with grey and yellow. The
grey breast is adorned with a brown
shield, more or less distinct, in the
shape of a horseshoe. Only young
hens have clear, grey breast.
Size and Strength Important
The weight Of an adult Hungarian
partridge Is about 1=2 to z pounds,
and it measures from IS to 22 inches
from tip to tip of wing. Their size
and strength play a most important
part in the adaptibility to cold CHM
ates because they can easily work
themselves out of deep snow in which
quail would perish. 1t is their large
size, their extreme hardness, their
high prolif1cness and their swiftness
on the wing which make the Hun
garian partridge the most ideal game
bird for stocking purposes Their
ability to Withstand cold weather and
hardships has led to their importa-
ton to this country from Europe.
where their original habitat was on
the shores OF the Black sea. From
there the birds spread, following in
the steps OF grain cultivation. Unlike
other game birds they were favored
by the advance of agriculture and
nave become quite plentiful.
Prolific and Fine Sport
The Hungayion partridge hen lays
from twelve to twenty eggs and even
more, Both parents give much care
to the young and as result of this
most of the little birds are raised and
1t does rot take long tc populate a
whole district. AS for sport in the
field these cartridges cannot be sur
passed. They are more swift in
Night than the quail and will lie
much closer to cover, giving the dogs
better chance to range, nose and
hold. When flushed, they fly like
shot from shell and at different
angles, hence they remove the pos
sibility of pot hunters emptying both
loads of lead into their covey and
perhaps killing half or more and
easily exterminating them. It re-
quires good marksman under favor
able conditions to bag more than two
of these swift birds on raise.