30 PROPAGATION OF WILD BIRDS 



enter, if necessary, the other merely for reaching in to get 

 the eggs under the brush at that end, as it would be a detri- 

 ment to breeding to frighten the birds by crawling clear 

 through. 



At each end there should be a thick pile of evergreen 

 boughs, brush, or straw in which the birds can skulk and 

 build nests, and it is well if there is some natural long grass 

 and weeds. At any rate, the pen should be over green turf. 

 In this case the grass will grow faster than two birds can 

 reduce it, and the pen need not be moved during the breed- 

 ing season. Sod or earth should be banked around it. If 

 rats or vermin are troublesome, it may be necessary to dig a 

 slight trench and bury J- or i-inch mesh wire about 6 inches 

 in the ground, tacking it to the bottom of the pen. 



Over one end of the frame may be tacked a strip of roofing- 

 paper, which will give the birds a chance to keep dry during 

 severe rains. Formerly I placed a small coop, with bottom, 

 against the smaller door, with sand on the bottom and brush 

 for hiding. This is not necessary, but is very convenient 

 for moving the birds without handling them. They are 

 easily driven in, and one can shut the slide and move the 

 coop. This would be well enough with a few pairs, but on a 

 larger scale it is well to practise reasonable economy. 



Arbitrary Pairing. The latter part of April is the proper 

 time to separate the birds arbitrarily into pairs for breeding. 

 Any male and female will mate. Catching them in the 

 winter pen is a simple matter. Make a small, compact pile 

 of evergreen boughs in a corner of the pen, so thick the birds 

 cannot fly out from the top, with a small opening for entrance 

 on either side. The quails will hide in this corner. Either 

 they can be chased out into a scoop-net or sack, or they can 

 be taken out by hand. Handle them carefully to avoid loss 

 of feathers, as this seems to put them back in laying. 



