S2 FRANK forester's FIELD SPORTS. 



rarely frequent the forest, and are most numerous in the vicinity 

 of well cultivated plantations, where grain is plenty. They, 

 however, occasionally seek shelter in the woods, perching on 

 the branches, or secreting themselves among the brushwood, 

 but are found most usually in open fields, or along fences shel- 

 tered by thickets of briars ; when they are not too much perse- 

 cuted by the sportsman they become almost half domesticated, 

 approach the barn, particularly in winter, and sometimes in that 

 severe season mix with the poultry to glean up a subsistence. 

 They remain with us a whole year, and often suffer extremely 

 by long, hard winters, and deep snows. At such times the arts 

 of man combine with the inclemency of the season for their 

 destruction. To the ravages of the gun are added others of a 

 more insidious kind. Traps are placed on almost every planta- 

 tion in such places as they are known to frequent. They are 

 formed of lath or thinly split sticks, somewhat in the shape of 

 an obtuse cone, laced together with cord, having a small hole 

 at the top with a sliding lid to take out the game by. This is 

 supported by the common figure 4 trigger, and grain is scattered 

 below and leading to the place. By this contrivance ten or 

 fifteen have sometimes been taken at a time. These are some- 

 times brought alive to market, and occasionally bought up by 

 sportsmen, who, if the season be very severe, sometimes pre- 

 serve and feed them till Spring, when they are humanely turned 

 out to their native fields again, to be put to death some future 

 time secundum artem. Between the months of August and 

 March great numbers of these birds are brought to the market 

 of Philadelphia, where they are sold at from twelve to eighteen 

 cents a piece. 



" The Quail begins to build early in May. The nest is made 

 on the ground, usually at the bottom of a thick tuft of grass that 

 shelters and conceals it. The materials are leaves and fine dry 

 grass, in considerable quantity. It is well covered above, and 

 an opening left on one side for entrance. The female lays from 

 fifteen to twenty-four eggs, of a pure white, without any spots. 

 The time of incubation has been stated to me by various per- 



