22 The Partridge Family 



early summer, which in different sections is also 

 translated into " More wet — no more wet," " More 

 wheat — no more wheat," and " Buck-wheat — no 

 buck-wheat." The last is a close imitation and 

 has a tinge of the dry humor of the typical farmer, 

 who knows how fond the bird is of that useful 

 grain. The rallying call, after a bevy has been 

 scattered, is loud and vibrant with tender anxiety. 

 A well-known authority puts it thus — Quci-i-hee, 

 quoi-i-hee ; others twist it into " Where-are-you .? 

 Where-are-you ? " The writer's ear may be at fault, 

 but to him it sounds very like Ka-loi-hee, Ka-loi- 

 hee, especially when the old hen is doing the 

 calling. There are many variations of it too, 

 Whoil-kee representing a common one. It is 

 an open question if the cock utters this call, 

 although some accomplished sportsmen have 

 claimed that he does. The writer has been a 

 close observer of quail and would think nothing 

 of calling young birds almost to his feet, yet he 

 has never been able to trace this call to the old 

 male, that is, as a rallying call to the brood. He 

 is well aware that young males use it in replying 

 to the mother, but he has yet to see a male of 

 more than one season utter it. Apropos, if during 

 the mating season a good whistler will conceal 

 himself and reply to the Bob-whiting of some 

 amorous male, he can draw the bird across even a 

 broad field. The small fellow will reply louder 



