AMERICAN PARTRIDGES. 417 



half an hour, until the scent of the birds had become stronger 

 through gradual dissemination, his dog would have found 

 them easily. Tired and disappointed, he sits down to con- 

 sider, when suddenly two of the Quail whirr almost at his 

 feet. Meanwhile, the young birds have run half a mile, leav- 

 ing no scent, and those who were in the trees have silently 

 flown on to join their companions. By and by you may be 

 surprised to hear them calling each other together near the 

 old field, and apparently on the very ground which our friend 

 has searched so carefully. At last they will be back again at 

 their roosting-place safe and sound, even if pursued until 

 after dark. Now the lad also returns home, and explains his 

 ill luck by an extraordinary theory, read of in books, and 

 verified by his own experience, that our Quail have a wonder- 

 ful power of retaining their scent. The only sound argument 

 to prove this statement is that our game-birds, when very 

 young, by a thoughtful provision of nature, emit little or no 

 scent. 128 



Though the Quail are very hardy, and can probably en- 

 dure very severe cold, they often perish in the snow. In 

 winter, they lie on the ground as usual, always allowing the 

 snow to accumulate, until morning, when they free them- 

 selves by united effort. Should a crust be formed, they fre- 

 quently find it impossible to escape, and so perish. 



The haunts and habits of our Quail of course vary much 

 in different localities. In the South and West they are ac- 

 counted easy to shoot, but, being very abundant there, they 

 are less often followed into the " thick." In the wooded parts 



128 Among the very numerous writ- a The question cannot be settled in 

 ers on this subject, none, so far as we this summary manner, for the writer 

 have observed, have claimed to pos- overlooks the important fact that the 

 sess that scientific and exact know- habit of retaining scent is not common 

 ledge of the Quail's physiological struc- to all the Quail of any one locality or 

 ture and functions, without which it is region. On the contrary it is peculiar 

 idle to argue the question. When to certain individuals or bevies who in- 

 game-birds drop suddenly to the variably practice it when pursued by 

 ground and remain motionless, the sportsmen. Yet these individuals do 

 dog does not perceive them." Quail not drop more suddenly nor remain 

 most frequently alight in this way, but more motionless than the less fortunate 

 as soon as they begin to move, the birds which the dogs easily find and 

 effluvium escapes and is disseminated. point. W. B. 



