How Animals Talk 



he was bound that she should not again be hurt 

 or frightened. 



Before sunrise next morning he heard low, 

 eager whistlings in the yard; and there was 

 another quail, a male bob - white, where never 

 one was seen before nor since. He was perched 

 warily on the window-sill of the barn, looking 

 in at his captive mate, telling her in the softest 

 of quail tones (for there were enemies all about) 

 that he had found her and was glad; while from 

 within the barn came a soft piping and gurgling 

 which seemed to speak welcome and reassurance. 

 The opening of a door frightened him ; he buzzed 

 away to the orchard, and presently from an apple- 

 tree came the exquisite quoi-lee! quoi-lee! the as- 

 sembly-call of the bob-white family. 



The first quail had been caught miles away from 

 the man's house; there were no other birds of her 

 own kind within hearing distance, so far as my 

 friend and his dog ever discovered, and it was 

 not the mating -time, when quail are questing 

 widely. By a process of elimination, therefore, 

 one reaches the conclusion that the male bird was, 

 in all probability, the father of the flock over 

 which the captive presided; that he had helped 

 to raise the young birds, as quail commonly do; 

 that he had stood by his family all summer in loyal 

 bob-white fashion, and that he went out to seek 



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