NATURE STUDY IN SCHOOLS. 161 



ADVENTURES OF THREE YOUNG NATURALISTS. 



BY 



U. R. Wild. 



( CONTINUED ) 



But promptly upon their first rise, Paul's and the Professor's shots rang 

 out and down went two birds into the saw palmetto. A second shot from 

 Paul's gun rolled over another, fifty yards away, out into the pine woods, 

 and the Professor wheeling, caught a fourth as it was entering a hummock 

 behind him. George discharged both barrels without taking any aim what- 

 ever, but was fortunate enough to secure a single bird. 



"I must have made the feathers fly out of mine," excitedly exclaimed 

 Harry, and off he darted out of the woods to try and find this evidence of 

 his skill. 



" I saw mine go down right over by that tall palmetto leaf," shouted 

 George. " I'll go and find it before someone carries it off, for it is my first 

 quail." 



"Hold on!" said Paul, "Ponce will do that for you, find Ponce, "for 

 the good dog had dropped into the bushes at the first shot. She now rose 

 and dashed into the palmettos, emerging in a moment with a quail in her 

 mouth which she laid at the feet of her master, returned to the palmettos 

 and brought another and still a third. 



" That's my bird," said George, as that one came out, " I saw the tall 

 palmetto leaf move when Ponce picked it up." 



" What small quail," said Paul, who had been accustomed to shoot this 

 game in the north. 



" Yes," said the Professor, " and also note how dark they are. See 

 this male, the breast is one mass of black, completely obscuring all the other 

 markings. This is the typical Florida quail, technically termed a sub-species 1 , 

 on this account, according to the latest officially recognized code of nomen- 

 clature, is called Colinus Virginians floridana." 



The dog soon found the bird that fell in the hummock, and having care- 

 fully plugged the mouths of the birds with cotton, wrapped them in paper and 

 carefully placed them in collecting baskets, our naturalists were proceeding 

 toward the bird that fell in the pine woods, when they met Harry returning, 

 carefully holding a feather between his thumb and forefinger. 



" There, *' he exclaimed, as he came up to the party, " I knew I hit 

 that bird, there's good evidence enough for you. 



