It was nearly dark one December afternoon, 

 the snow ankle-deep and falling swiftly, when, 

 crossing a wide field, I heard this call from a 

 piece of sprout-land ahead of me. Kneeling 

 in the snow, I answered the whistle. Instantly 

 came a reply. Back and forth we signaled till 

 there was a whir of wings, and down in the soft 

 snow within a few feet of me dropped the lonely, 

 frightened quail. She was the only one left of a 

 covey that the night before had roosted un- 



' Within a few feet of me dropped the lonely frightened quail." 



[152] 



