El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-11-24

u
scope, are stiI. Dusk is falling and
all nature is hushed, awaiting the COM
ing Of the night. The notes Of the
I little artstocrat Of the sportsman's
world sound strangely sweet to the
hunter or to the lover OF nature ST.
lence. Then presently the notes are
repeated. Another wait, and then from
! across the valley comes the answering
call Of the mate.
The Answering Call. f-
I'm coming; I'm coming" she says
in notes that are sweet and mellow, as
she mounts the tOpmOst rail OF
nearby fence and listens for her sweet
heart to answer
"Bob-Bob- Winter again sounds from
the thicket edge. He is telling her to
hurry; that it's getting late and dark
ness viii soon be down. There's a
Whirr of wings, and a rattle. Swiftly
a plump feathered form darts over the
roadway and sails smoothly toward
the thicket, aighting just at the edge
Of a patch OF woods grown up win
tangled vines. There's a musical tWtt-
ter Of recognition and greeting. Then
the calls are heard no more, for Bob
White and his mate have told the
world goodnight.
who has not heard with pleasure
the call of the quail, and who has ever
forgot it's sweet and plaintive music!
It is in the mating season that quail
are most frequently seen. Time and
again as you drive along a dusty sum
ahead with his mate or sit proudly on
a top rail and watch you pass. It IS
easy enough to tell them apart, the
cock bird with the white markings un-
der the throat and a topknot on MS
head; the mother bird in smart coat
Of simple brown. Sometimes the two
lead a bevy OF little ones into the
weeds by the fence and find safety in
cover. Neat proud as a peacock,
swift and strong, and game Dlrd'
every inch Of him, truly the aristo-
crat of wood and field and stubble, Is
the little Bob White
Bob White and HIS Mate.
Faithful and fond parents are Bob
White and his mate. CompanionaoIe
too, they are, for they love the haunts
of man and are generally found about
the farm house, even right in corner
Of the garden or the nearby orchard-
The nest is built on the ground always
for the quail never lives IN trees
seldom alights in a tree, as matter
of fact, unless suddenly flushed and
| badly frightened. The nest is built
in a field OF grain or hay, out IN the
! open generally, for being on the
! ground it thereby has added protec-
ton from the fox, the mink, the coon.
the 'possum, and other Yarmlnts
that rove the woods and stay as much
as possible near timber for the cover
and protection ii affords their move
ments- The quail family Is generaIiy
a large one. The Roosevelt idea al
ways obtains with Mr.. and Mrs. Bob
/ White unless the floods OF springttme
and early summer drown out the 70
/ OF 20 wee brown little ones that hatcn
I out under the careful attention OF
both parents. Usually two broods are
I reared, and mother and father share
the burden Of caring for them until
they are seIf-suppOrting. The cock
quail, in fact, Is one Of the few birds
that viii both sit on eggs while the
mother bird is off feeding, and lead
a brood Of young ones about
Off for the Sport.
A country breakfast with steaming
black coffee that fairly puts fellow
on his feet and makes him feel as
though he could walk from New York
! to Frisco, a light breakfast for the
dogs, and the party is OH TOT the
mornings sport This pleasure is be-
ing enioyed all over Uncle Sans do
main at this time, Tor in nearly every
state, sometime between October ana
February, the quail season comes IN
most of them during November and
December. In every state the little
proposition to dog and gunner
It is on quail that the classic bird
dog does his best work. 1t is while
hunting quail that the sportsman most
qualities with which nature has en-
dOwed the bird dog There are many
varieties of game birds a bird dog
will stand" or point" or set, as
the Terms are NaElO4HlN .EulnlQE EQr DGL
none so satisfactorily as the Bob
White Many kinds OF grouse and
large partridge the dog will stand, If
the quarry VIII let him, but these
larger varieties have an exasperating
habit Of scurrying away as fast as
they can at the approach OF a dog
and will not lie in the cover until
the sportsman can get up for a shot.
That is why in England and in many
European countries II is necessary to
drive" the game with "beaters" and
the spOrtsmen shoot the grouse, or
partridges or pheasants as the case
may be, as the birds fly over them
Game to the Core.
But the Bob White is game to the
core. Close and still he lies before
the bird dog, and the heart OF the
sportsman swells with pride as he
hurries along and watches his dogs
trail the game and come down" on II.
STEADY. Steady Hold; hold therew
What huntsman has not given those
magic words Of command and caution
to his dog, as the animal stealthily
advances, with the 1.-the grace Of
panther, with pointing head and tail,
towards his quarry, a cOvey OF quail,
the gamest Of all game birds. What
a wonderful thing is the nose of a
bird dog! The proud fellow enters
stubble or weed field with head erect
and nostrils extended. He shifts the
crisp morning air this way and that.
He makes a cast here, then one over
able scent Of the quail is in the breeze.
II grows stronger and fresher as he
advances. He trails off to the left.
His nose tells him the birds have gone
that way. Cautiously now he moves
on as he nears the covey Of little
brown feathered things that are dart
ing here and there in the thick grass.
Frightened. the quail scamper togeth-
err The bird dog makes a half circle
to road" them off from that direc-
ton. The birds stop and huddle. The,
dog stops. There he stands on the
game. immovable. rigid, save for the
nervous culver from Intensity Of the
point. With head elevated tail well
out at an upward angle. the animal
tells his master in language palmer
than words, that the Bob White is
there
Does His Work Well.
This was the cOvey dog, and he had
done his work we'll Behind him,
trifle slower, two others are casting
through the field Almost in unison
they too catch the scent of the quail
The start toward il and see their COM
rade on the point They back imme-
diately, then cautiously approach as
close as it Is safe to come, and not
flush the game. One stops just be-
hind the covey dog, and the other