4 84 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jan. 14, 3886. 



Address all commwiications to the Forest and Stream Publish- 

 ing Co, 



QUAIL IN CONFINEMENT. 



WINTEEING -BIRDS. 



A RECENT request, from tlic editor for some notes under 

 the above caption, and several iuquirics from private 

 correspondents constitute the "reason of ijeina;" for this 

 article; hence no apologies. But the writer by no mcfins in 

 tends to set hirasoll: up as an atithority on tbe subject named, 

 and the suggestions herein, drawn largely from his own ex- 

 perience, are tendered for what they niay'be worth. 



It is safe to assume that in a majority of cases persons pro- 

 curing live quail to winter, have come into possession of 

 birds lately captured. These are forced to undergo a sudden 

 and vioie-nt revolution in their habits, and in the bands of 

 dealers are, for the time, huddled into cramped and iusuffl- 

 cient quarters. It is not to be wondered at that, under the 

 two causes combined, the quail suffer a most serious deci- 

 mation, and contract ailments which a few weeks later break 

 out in the most unaccountable way, to plague andgrieve the 

 man who has fondly planned to stock a favorite shooting 

 ground. It goes without sajdng then, that it is highly desir- 

 able to buy birds at first hands, and to obtain them as soon 

 as possible after they have been taken. In this way tbe evils 

 which arise from crowding large numbers of birds together 

 may be reduced to a minimum, if not altogether avoided. 



Having got our hirds, where shall we put them? If at all 

 practicable they should go outdoors, with the ground for 

 the bottom of the inclosure. Outdoor air and ventihition are 

 very greatly preferable to any arrangement possible indoors, 

 and if vi'e are to have strong, healthy birds to turn out in 

 the spring, they need the tonic of the winter air. So far as 

 temperature goes, it makes little difference how much (dry) 

 cold the birds have to undergo, if they have shelter from the 

 cold rains. It is diihcult to freeze well-fed birds (unless fhey 

 chance to be imprisoned hy a sleet storm), but it is the 

 coveys that have been gradually wealcened and enfeebled by 

 starvation that fall an easy prey to the cold and snows. Mv 

 own coops ((if which there a)-e three) are four by sixteen feet 

 each on the ground, and from two to four and a lialf feet 

 in height — the sides and top inclosed hy galvanized wire net- 

 ting, with a portion of each roof tightly covered with boards 

 so as to make a watertight shelter. The lowest coop has the 

 entire top hinsed with heavy strap hinges, so that it can be 

 lifted and folded back for convenience in cleaning. All the 

 coops are connected by apertures which close or open at will 

 from the outside, and in this way it is easy to transfer the 

 wildest birds from one coop to another whenever it is desir- 

 able to vacate either of them for ;mj purpose. 



The base of these coops is made by diggmg around the 

 space to be inclosed a trench one foot in width and eighteen 

 inches deep. In the bottom of this trench is packed six 

 inches of tin clippmgs, the refuse from a tinshop, and upon 

 it is placed a board a foot wide on edge, bringing the top of 

 the latter level with the surface of the ground^ On the 

 upper edge of this board strips of tin ai-e tacked, and a sec- 

 ond board — al.so on edge — placed upon it. Now if the wire 

 netting is carried up from a line an inch below the upper 

 out.?ide edge of the second board, you have a bottom for the 

 walls of your coops which wili defy all the rats or other 

 vermin that may be in the neighborhood. 



When I first "built my coops I made the walls of heavy 

 half-inch mesh and the tops of lighter netting with a mesh of 

 an inch and a half. In building again 1 should make the 

 roofs of mesh not larger than half an inch, solely for the 

 purpose of keeping out the miserable thieving English spar- 

 rows. It is no exaggeration to say that last winter and this 

 Ihaveheen obliged to feed six of these worthless tramps 

 for every quail or other game bird in my coops. But all 

 this will be stopped this week by the substitution of finer 

 mesh for the tops. 



It may be urged as an objection to the style of coop that 

 I have described that they are too expensive. I am frank to 

 say that mine are built for use all the year around. As to 

 height, four and a half feet is none too high for convenience 

 in entering and cleaning, and wild birds do not pound them- 

 selves so badly by flying against the top as they would by 

 jumping against a lower roof. 



Next as to food. Cracked Indian corn, buckwheat, Ger- 

 man millet and rejected wheat and wheat screenings are 

 valuable in the order uanied. The first two are especially 

 desirable in cold weather. Of hemp seed the birds are very- 

 fond, and a little now and then is greatly relished, although 

 it is too expensive to be used verj' freely. I was fortunate 

 enough this winter to find a mill in Toledo where I can buy 

 cracked corn delivered at my house at about fifty cents per 

 bushel. Each kernel is broken into pieces about the size of 

 a grain of wheat, and as a winter food for quail it would 

 seem to be unequalcd. At first I tried various forms of 

 ground and cooked food, but came to the conclusion two 

 years ago that for adult birds they are hardly ever desirable, 

 and iu^some cases injurious. A little green food at occa- 

 sional intervals is aii excellent thing for quail in confine- 

 ment — a leaf or two of lettuce, a leaf of cabbage chopped 

 fine, or a bit of apple answers the purpose. During the sum- 

 mer and fall my birds generally got a little bunch of chick- 

 weed every day, and seemed to prefer it to all other green 

 food. But they have very little food of this character during 

 winter; it is scarcely necessary to furnish it more than two 

 or three times a week (if so often) in captivity. 



In mild weather the birds should have fresh water once a 

 day, given in such a way as to prevent them from fouling it. 

 But in severe weather, when water freezes as soon as put out 

 into the open air, the quail seem to get on very well without 

 it. 



Perhaps, however, there is nothing quite so essential to 

 the health of quail in confinement as plenty of coarse sand 

 or fine gravel. It insures good digestion and per consequence 

 healthy and vigorous birds in the spring. Ground bone, 

 burned oyster shells and seashells (such as are sold for poul- 

 try by the barrel) come under the head of luxuries, which 

 the birds can do very well without, though they are undoubt- 

 edly beneficial. A box of road dust in the driest corner of 

 the coop 1 have found to be the best possible preventive 

 against lice, and as road dust is not very plenty at this sea- 

 sou, a supply of dry coal ashes furnishes a good substitute. 

 Even the wild birds soon learn to use it and are extremely 

 fond of rolling and scratching in it. Last but not least in 

 this connection, two or tbree inches of wheat or oat straw, 

 under the covered portions of the coop, make an excellent 

 place for the birds to pick and scratch in, and a warm and 

 comfortable bed at night. 



There are a few diseases to which quail in confinement 

 seem to be especially liable, and among these are cholera, 

 roup and iuliammation of the bowels. The first of these is the 

 quail keeper's worst enemy, since it not only works sad 

 ravages among birds fresh caught, but is apt to attack birds 

 that have been cagesl for years, and partly domesticated. 

 Readers of the Forest and Stream wiU'recall a case of 

 the latter kind cited in these columns some time ago, and 

 another has come under my own notice this fall. Cholera is 

 evidently caused by overcrowding, bad ventilation and im- 

 proper feeding, and when it breaks out in a coop of birds it 

 is reasonably certain to finish the whole lot. I believe it to 

 be highly contagious, and even though birds apparently well 

 are separated from the affected ones, they soon succumb. 

 Its approach is marked by a drowsiness, which soon pa8,«es 

 into a heavy stupor, frooi which the bird can scarcely be 

 aroused, and the disease runs through an entire covey in 

 from two to five days. Perhaps some one has a better name 

 than "choleia" for this disease. I can only say that in my 

 experience it has proved sulBcient for all practical purposes. 



Roup and inflammation of the bowels are wet weather 

 diseases and pertain more particularly to spring and fall and 

 to young birds. Since wet is the principal cause of these 

 difficulties, perhaps it is sufficient here to suggest that if due 

 care be exercised to keep the birds dry no trouble need be 

 occasioned in the winter time. But this leads me to say 

 that if the editor does not enjoin me, I should like later to 

 write a second paper on "Breeding Quail in Confinement." 



Perhaps it may be pertinent to say in closing that I am 

 not a dealer in birds and have none for sale, and that I 

 never shot a quail in all my life, though I have been a hun- 

 ter for twenty -five years. But my telephone has just rung 

 up a message from the express office announcing the arrival 

 of another box of live quail, aud 1 must go to look after 

 them. Jay Bebe 



Toledo. O., Jan. 6. 



ARIZONA QUAIL. 



EMtor Forest and Stream : 



Mr. Herbert Brown's article in the last number of Forest 

 AND Stream is a very welcome contribution to our knowl- 

 edge respecting the habits and distribution of the different 

 species of quail found in Arizona, embodying as it does in- 

 formation which has been eagerly and more or less impa- 

 tiently awaited by the ornithologists of the United States. 

 I do not think, however, that Mr. Brown has demonstrated 

 the specific identity of Cnliiim ridgwayi, Brewst. and the 

 pair of birds, sent by Mr. Brown to Mr. Grinnell, which I 

 identified as Oriyx (now Colin/uf) firaysoni, Lawr. To make 

 the matter perfectly clear it will be necessary to review the 

 history of the subject, somewhat as Mr. Brown has done. 



In Forest and STREiUi for March 6, 18^)4, was copied 

 from the Tucson Weekly Citizen an article stating that, Ortyx 

 virffinianus occurred in the Barboquivari range, Southern 

 Arizona. This record I questioned in the following number 

 of Forest ajs*d Streaii, basing my objection on the well- 

 known geographical distribution of 0. tirginianus, the most 

 western form of which {0. ciral/iianus iemmis Lawr.) "not 

 having been traced further west than Central Texas," as staled 

 in my note, which further explained that, "if not the Massena 

 quaii, thebu'd referred to must be one of the Mexican species 

 of 6'? <^.c (perhaps 0. graysoni), none of which, however, have 

 been taken on our side of the boundary lino."' 



In the same note I stated that "in order to settle the ques- 

 tion, it is very desirable that a specimen be sent for examina- 

 tion." Unfortunately, however, I added that "merely a 

 wing, with a portion of the breast with the feathers attached, 

 would be suriioient to insure identification," for it did not 

 occur to me that there might exist in Arizona a species, as 

 yet unknown to naturalists, so closely related to 0' graysoni 

 as to be distinguishable by the coloration of the head alone. 

 Hence these tedious explanations. 



It was not long, however, before Mr. Grinnell received 

 from Mr. Brown, iu response to my suggestion, fragments 

 ("portions of wing, breast and tail") of a male, and the dissi- 

 cated carcase (not "almost pei fect skin") of a female, both res- 

 cued from the street, alley or vacant lot,^ long after they had 

 been thrown away. Tlicse imperfect specimens were sent me 

 by Mr. Grinnell for inspection; and upon comparing them with 

 examples of 0. graynoni from Western iMexico, they were 

 founfl to correspond exactly so far as they could be matched 

 "part for part." Obviously, therefore, the only thing which 

 could under the circumstances be done was to report to Mr. 

 Grinnell, as I did, the result of the comparison. 0. (or C.) 

 ridgwayi yv^as at that time an unknown species to naturalists, 

 it is (scientifically) a more recent discovery, with which my 

 identification of Mr. Brown's specimens could not possibly 

 have anything to do. 



It has been stated above that, the only obvious difference 

 iu plumage between 0. graysoni and 0. ridgwayi is in the 

 coloration of the head in the adult male. 'The former has 

 the throat and a bold, superciliary stripe, pure white; while 

 the latter has the head entirely black. It should therefore 

 be unnecessary to state that had Mr. Brown sent an entire 

 specimen of the male there would have been no occasion for 

 any mistake — granting that one has been made, which I can- 

 not without further evidence concede. 



In Southern Mexico are found in nearly if not Cjuite the 

 same districts two species of quails — GoUnus pectaralis and 

 G. coyokos — wich exactly represent the more northern G. 

 graysoni and G. ridgimyi, respectively, the former having 

 the'bold whitehead markings and the latter with the head 

 entirely black, both likewise having the under parts uniform 

 rufous or cinnamon. These two species are much smalle'^ 

 than their northern representatives, and differ from them in 

 some other particulars. GoUnus graysoni being a common 

 species in the vicinity of Mazatlan, .some 600 miles south of 

 the United States boundary, and the intervening territory 

 almost a complete terra incognita ornithologically, it is not 

 at all impossible, or even improbable, that it should extend 

 its range northward to across the border, just as several 

 other Mexican species, previously observed no further north 

 than Mazatlan — and some of them not nearly so far north — 

 have been found to do. 



In conclusion, I w«uld state that much additional ma- 

 terial, including specimens in better shape than those already 

 examined, is necessary to determine the question of whether 

 C. graysoni occars in Arizona, and also that of its relation to 

 G. ridgitiayi ; and to assist observers who have not the op- 

 portunity or "knack" of making specimens, I give the fol- 

 lowing artificial key (based on the males alone, the females 



' Tills last statement of course refers to specimeas taken by nat- 

 uralists or professional collectors, and duly recorded in some publi- 

 cation. 



Tbe exact clreumstanceg of their recovery were stated in Mr. 

 Brown's letter, but I nave forgotten ihe details. These fragmentary 

 specimens are still preserved in the cnilectiou of the U. S. National 

 Museum, where thev are numbered 96,763 and 96,764, respectively. 



being practically undistinguishable from one another) of the 

 species of GoUnus found along our southwestern border, in- 

 cluding the C. graysoni: 



A. Lower parts whitish varied with bars and 



v-sbaped marks of black 1. C. mrginianus texanus. 



B. Lower parts uniform rufous or cinnamon-color — 



a. Head with the whole throat and a broad 



superciliary stripe pure white. . 3. G. graysoni. 



1). Head uniform black 3. G. ridgwayi. 



Robert RmawAY. 



3 There is a bare possibility that C. coyolcos and C. pectoralis may 

 be individual color-phases of one species (C. coyolcos), and that 0. 

 graysoni and C. ridgwayi bear tbe same relation to one another. But 

 this is merely a suspicion which I have be en from time to time led To 

 indulgfe hj certain circumstances which it is not worth while to men- 

 tion here, . 



A FLORIDA MUSEUM. 



WALKING along the sea wall at St. Augustine the 

 other day— or perhaps I should say river wall, for 

 the people of the quaint old town insist on calling the beau- 

 tiful sheet of salt water in front of the place'a river— 1 

 caught sight of a little old display window full of curious 

 things. It had an air different from that of the ordinary 

 curiosity store, and I crossed over to it. A genial gentle- 

 man. Dr. .J. Vedder, met me and talked to me about his 

 wonders. Perhaps the most interesting of them aU is his col- 

 lection of Florida snakes, alive and exceedingly well caged 

 for display. Chief among them is an enormous diamond 

 rattlesnake. In the front room, stretched on a board, is the 

 moulted skin of this monster. It measures seven feet and 

 one inch iu length and six inches wide, showing the living 

 snake to be twelve inches in girth. If five itichcs be al- 

 lowed for tbe rattles and something for the shrinking of the 

 dried shell, his living snakeship cannot be much less than 

 eight feet long. The Doctor tapped the case and the huge 

 reptile threw himself into position to strike. The head was 

 drawn back in splendid pose, and in the center of the swell- 

 ing coils of his body the end of the tail was thrust up, the 

 rattles quivering in rapid vibration and sending forth the 

 ominous sound which has caused many a hunter to check 

 his course through thicket or meadow. There was no longer 

 any doubt in my mind as to how the rattlesnake produced 

 his wai ning signal. The whole process was visible. If you 

 go to St. Augustine it will be worth your while to see this 

 process, though you may feel as I did— like standing back a 

 Ultle lest the snake should crash through the glass and reach 

 you. 



In another case were two chicken snakes. The Doctor 

 put a live mouse into the den and both snakes started for it. 

 One seized it and in an instant had wrapped it in his coil. 

 A moment's struggle and the little rodent was dead. 

 Cautiously the reddish brown folds loosened their grip, and 

 then the mouse soon disappeared down the snake's throat. 

 Plainly the chicken snake, which is not large, and would be 

 more valuable about a house than a cat, is a true constrictor. 

 There were glass snakes, moccasins, coach whips and gopher 

 snakes, all interesting in their way. 



A fine glossy coated otter, fully four feet long, roused 

 himself from his noonday nap to eat a fish thrown in to him, 

 beginning, as the keeper said he invariably did, at the tail. 

 The whole museum seems to be kept on fish — "yellow tails" 

 — caught easily in the river with net or hook. The pelicans 

 would catch the fish in their huge mouths, carefully turning 

 them so that the heads would go down first. The whooping 

 cranes, -v^ain birds and fond of notice, dancing in a fantastic 

 fashion at their master's command; the littfe white egrets 

 running about under everybody's feet; the darter or water 

 turkey, a shy bird with long beak and neck, the latter held 

 much in the shape of a figure 2. all begged for fish and- 

 caught them dexterously in 'their bills. 



A great horned owl hooted mellowly at command. A 

 black vulture went tilling from one end of his cage to the 

 other, acting precisely as if he were ashamed of himself and 

 were trying to hide. That rare bird, the monkey -faced owl, 

 stood solemnly asleep on one foot, and when roused liegan a 

 curious weaving, swaying motion which made it look weird 

 and strange. 



There were bears, wildcats, alligators and other strange 

 creatures to complete this interesting and altogether unique 

 museum, to which a visit may very T'rofitably be made by 

 any one interested in animal fife. Richard Gear Hobbs. 



HARE AND FISHER. 



Editor Farest and Streatn: 



Your correspondent "H. R."ia your issue of Dec, 31, 

 thinks he saw an otter chasing a hare on the ice, making, as 

 he says, quick, clean jumps, about the same as the hare. 

 Now the otter does not make clean jumps, but just gathers 

 speed by one or two short jumps or gathers, and then slides 

 — sometimes quite a distance — say from ten to twenty feet, 

 then gathers for another slide. "l never in all my hunting 

 life of twenty -five years saw where an otter made clean jumps 

 in runnin,g. I have frequently followed them in light snows, 

 and sometimes on top of four feet of snow, over mountains 

 from one stream to another — they making a straight course, 

 as if they knew the way. Neither hr e i ever seen where an 

 otter chased a hare. They subsist on fish alone, I think, as 

 any one may observe by the fish bones and scales on and 

 about iheiv slides— I never observed any other bones in their 

 signs. 



What "H. R," saw following the hare was doubtless 

 a fisher {Mustela pennantU, Erxl.). They subsist chiefly 

 on the hare, and they are very adept at capturing them. 

 I once saw a hare come out of the woods on to Lake Mol- 

 lychunkemunk, running at great speed, and immediately 

 after a fisher on his track. They followed down the lake 

 about a mile, when the hare commenced to chcle— quite 

 large at first, and continually making the circle smaller- 

 the fisher always keeping inside the circle of the hare, and 

 so gaining quite a distance in every round, or rather not 

 having to run so fast to keep the hare on his speed, the 

 fisher seeming to take it very leisurely, until the circle be 

 came so small as to end at a point— and the fisher was there 

 as soon as the hare, and made short work of him. I had fol- 

 lowed down the lake as fast as 1 could, in hopes of getting 

 in a shot, and so had an excellent chance to see the whole 

 maneuver, but the fisher saw me, and dragged his prey 

 ashore and fled into the woods. J. G. R. 



Bethel, Maine. 



FJdiior Forest and Stream; 



The animal that "H. R." saw chasing a hare was without 

 a doubt a fisher, or, as they are called here, "black cat." 

 They are rabbit hunters. Stanstead. 

 HiOHGATE, Vt., Jan. 3. 



