BIRD NEWS 



■setting in good shape and we thought 

 all was well until one day we saw 

 her flying about uttering queer sho:;, 

 sharp calls. We watched her — 

 she went everywhere but to 

 that nest. The next day it was th^^ 

 same way and we concluded, of 

 course, it was "good bye" to that 

 cOvey> when we discovered the cock 

 nestled down the nest in good shape, 

 and there he stayed for about 

 ten days while that fool hen flew 

 around and he brought out thoye 

 birds all right, clucking to them and 

 Scratching manfully for them, but he 

 fell short on the hovering part. He 

 would stand with wings out, every 

 feather up and talk and talk while 

 the poor little things ran about peep, 

 peep, peeping. A valley quail hen 

 had a little brood about the same 

 age and she coaxed them over to her. 

 I think he was really wonderfully re- 

 lieved when the last one left him. 

 Their mother took no notice of them 

 whatever. 



It is claimed the mountain quail 

 will not breed in captivity, or in a 

 low altitude, yet we have had se\'- 

 eral lay fertile eggs, but the youn,r 

 invariably died in the shell — we 

 never could understand why, unless 

 it were for lack of something we 

 knew not how to supply the foetus 

 which was not strong enough to ma- 

 ture. 



We mated a valley quail hen with 

 a mountain quail and quite a number 

 of the eggs hatched. The young 

 had most of the coloring, of the val- 

 ley, but a long straight crest like 

 the mountain, very gamey looking 

 and with a call note entirely of its 

 own. (To be continued.) 



OUR FLEDGLINGS 



B. N. will give each issue three 

 money prizes for best short bird 

 story; original; not to exceed 150 

 words; written by children under 16 

 years of age. 



BIRDS IN THE GREAT FIRE 

 IN SAN FRANCISCO, 1906 



The anniversary date of April 18, 

 1906, not unnaturally recalls some 

 memories of that never to be forgot- 

 ten event. The immediate results of 

 the earthquake shock were many and 

 serious. It was not, however, until 

 a general fire alarm told to the 

 stricken citizens that a new and, as it 

 proved to be a more disastrous, agent 

 had intruded its unwelcome i)resence. 

 From a dozen centres at once the 

 flames burst forth, and presently the 

 van-guard of what soon was to be- 

 come a general exodus appeared, the 

 fleeing householders retreating in 

 sullen reluctance before the advanc- 

 ing flames. In the midst of the 

 tragedy, there appeared ever and 

 anon a phase of comedy. 



The smoke-begrimed, flre-scorched, 

 nerve-wrecked cavalcade was a sad 

 sight. The nature student or fancier 

 could not, however, fail to note — 

 the complications of bird life — which 

 strangely intermixed. Canaries in 

 cages, parrots on broom-handles, 

 cockatoos in gilded cages from the 

 wealthy homes already claimed space 

 amongst the piles of salvage — hastily 

 located in the wider streets and 

 parks. 



When, however, the stream of 

 humbler folk blended with the main 

 current many novel demonstrations 

 of "sad experiences" became evi- 

 dent. Pets of all "types" were lug- 

 ged along — with a devotion that was 

 at once piteous and comic. 



One dear old lady, whose white 

 hair hung unkempt upon her pallid 

 face, carried a coal-scuttle in one 

 hand and in the other a breeding 

 cage, with nests, seed boxes and two 

 terror stricken canaries. The sani- 



