BOB-WHITE 121 



In a bulletin issued (1885) by the Agricultural Depart- 

 ment of the national Government, I find the following: 

 " The question is often asked whether the habit quail 

 (partridges) have of lying to the dog is natural or 

 acquired. To get a satisfactory answer one has only 

 to hunt in different parts of Indian Territory. In the 

 region west of Fort Sill the quail never think of stop- 

 ping when they see a dog, but run as fast as possible, 

 and upon his near approach they flush immediately, 

 just as one may suppose they do on the approach of a 

 coyote. In the eastern part of the Territory, near the 

 railroad, the quail lie quite well to a dog and, as they 

 are exceedingly abundant, excellent sport may be had 

 from November until March." 



This brings to mind an opinion expressed by that 

 distinguished ornithologist. Dr. Coues : " I am inclined 

 to think indeed," he says, "that the lying of quail 

 [partridges],* an essential feature for the chase in its 

 perfection, is almost as much a result of education as 

 the ' pointing ' that the intelligent brute who helps us 

 kill them has learned. In a primitive and strictly nat- 

 ural condition, quail as a general rule rather use their 

 legs to escape pursuit, than squat and attempt to hide. 

 That the reverse is the case with the Virginia quail 

 [the Bob-white], I am perfectly aware, but this proves 

 nothing to the contrary, and I am inclined to think its 

 crouching until almost trodden upon, to be an acquired 

 trick. This would surely be a poor way to escape 

 from any of its natural enemies — any carnivorous bird 



* This was written before the Ornithological Union, of which Dr. Coues 

 was a member, decided that the birds are partridges. The brackets are 

 mine. 



