336 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING 



Thus, the man whose business cares leave him but a 

 few days for shooting, and these at no definite time, 

 has more possibilities of sport on quail than on any 

 other bird. 



But the very abundance of the quail seems to have 

 checked the proper appreciation 'of it. Not that it is 

 treated with neglect, but there seems to be a lack of 

 the enthusiasm and lavish use of the superlative, so 

 often to be noted when writers are discoursing on 

 the ruffed grouse or the woodcock. Nevertheless, it 

 is not uncommon to have a keen relish for what is 

 rare, even if it be not of the best, while the good may 

 be so common as to escape notice. 



The quail is more uniformly and widely distributed 

 throughout the United States than is any other game 

 bird. Its habitat generally comprises both open and 

 cover, though whole districts are exceptions, as will 

 be touched on later; thus, besides giving the sports- 

 man a mixed style of shooting, is added the charm of 

 constant variety, and testing of the sportsman's skill 

 in woodcraft. It differs from the ruffed grouse, whose 

 home is in the woods, a much smaller section relatively. 



All works on natural history, so far as I know, teach 

 that the quail's home comprises conjointly both open 

 and cover; and while this is true in a general way, 

 there are important exceptions to it, so much so that 

 a work devoted to the habits and habitat of the quail 

 as they are in one locality might be distinctly erroneous 

 if applied to the quail of some other locality. In this 

 respect it differs from the prairie chicken and the ruffed 



