File:Bird lore (1909) (14569011168).jpg

Identifier: birdlore111909nati (find matches)
Title: Bird lore
Year: 1899 (1890s)
Authors: National Committee of the Audubon Societies of America National Association of Audubon Societies for the Protection of Wild Birds and Animals National Audubon Society
Subjects: Birds Birds Ornithology
Publisher: New York City : Macmillan Co.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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umped off as though something evil was after him. Not long after that, there was a most pathetic sight. The two Quail appeared,and between them was just one little chicken. The hen looked dejected, and thechick acted as though it suspected there was something wrong with this bigworld, and kept close to its mothers wing. Possibly the little mother was think-ing of a might have been—of an awful tragedy out in the scrub, when preciouseggs and snakes were horribly mixed. But the cocks head was high, and hiscrest raised, and he plainly said Isnt he a fine fellow. The chick was aboutthe size of a Wren, and the lack of wing and tail feathers made his legs lookabsurdly long. The little family made us frequent visits for a week or more, and the chickgrew wonderfully fast. About this time another pair of Quail appeared, comingfrom a different part of the grounds, and whenever the two families would happento meet here, the strange cock invariably tried to sneak up to the chick, evidently (249)
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The Ways of Bob-White 251 with a desire to tear him in pieces, but the father was ever on guard, and the iightsbetween the two birds were often long and fierce. At the very first sound of thebattle-cry, the chick would disappear and remain lost until the fight was wellover. On September 10, plaintive little sounds were heard, very much like the faintpeep of young turkeys—and at once it seemed as though the ground itselfwas moving along, it was so impossible to distinguish the tiny Quail from thedead oak leaves. There were over twenty of the Httle brown things, and withthem were two cocks and two hens! Just how the forced friendship had comeabout, we will never know, of course, but it was apparent at once that the twolarge families had become hopelessly mixed, although the Quail were just fromthe nest. The chick was there too, suddenly developed into a small cock, veryindependent, and scratched energetically for the babies, who commenced to eatwheat at once. Since that time they have

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