The Mountain- Quail 



393 



birds, in some kinds of cover, makes a little differ- 

 ence. So with the size. " It is much larger than 

 Bob-white," says Dr. Coues. But its tail is nearly 

 an inch longer, and the wings nearly as much 

 longer, while it is fuller feathered about the body. 

 When picked the difference is more apparent 

 than real. 



There is but one way to get good shooting out 

 of this bird, and that is to scare and scatter it as 

 quickly as possible, the same as with the valley- 

 quail. Many will often lie well enough, then, to 

 give you some chance, which must be quickly 

 taken. But others will run in spite of all you 

 can do, and are hard enough to hit on the ground 

 when dodging about. By the time you have 

 hazed them enough to make them lie well, you 

 are almost in the same condition, unless dressed 

 in a manner that allows high speed. The way 

 they can run up-hill, hopping and fluttering from 

 rock to rock, and making you believe they are not 

 moving rapidly, while you are scrambling breath- 

 less up from below, and all the time just out of 

 shot, is very puzzling. And about the time you 

 think you have driven them to the top of some 

 ridge, with nothing but down-hill on the other 

 side, the way they fool you by being not there 

 when you arrive is one of the most interesting 

 features of life behind the gun. 



