THE EARTH'S BOUNTY 



about with the cats and dogs, much more like 

 a four-footed beastie than a wild bird. His 

 friendliness grew until the following spring, 

 when he suddenly disappeared, to reappear 

 some weeks after with ten little ones and a 

 mate. Naturally we were all delighted, though 

 Bobby never succeeded in convincing his fam- 

 ily that house-dwellers were safe creatures. 

 They would hover about when he came to 

 ask for food, and when we retired, after scat- 

 tering wheat or cracked corn over the garden 

 path, they would cautiously respond to his 

 call, congregate about the food, and enjoy a 

 goodly meal. 



From that year there were always some 

 quail, in a half -wild state, feeding about the 

 barn buildings during the winter. As nearly 

 as I can remember, it was two years later that 

 Bobby was found near the side porch with one 

 leg and one wing broken, and with an injured 

 bill. Of course he was taken in and doctored, 

 having to be fed with almost liquid food, 

 through a quill, for many days. At last he 



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