412 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Nov. i8, 1905. 
Feeding Box for Quail. 
WhitinsvillEj Mass., Nov. 6 — Editor Forest and 
Stream: I send two photos of the winter feeding box 
for quail which we have used in this section^ for two 
winters past with considerable success. One is shown 
bare so the construction can be readily seen, and the 
other is shown with the covering of pine boughs as it is 
set up for the use of the birds. This particular one car- 
ried through a covey of seven quail last winter. 
I also give herewith the details of our “planting” of 
quail a year ago, believing that many of your^ readers will 
be interested and that a recital of our experience will be 
helpful to anyone who may want to make a similar try 
toward restocking depleted covers. 
We elected to liberate the birds in the fall, dircct.y 
after the shooting season closed, and then feed them in 
the special feeding boxes through the winter. 
The year before we tried keeping them in confinement 
until the vi^'eather would allow us to turn them out in 
the spring, but with the best care we were able to give, 
more than three-quarters of them died, and those we did 
finally turn out w^ere in such poor condition that we 
think some of them died. 
The reason we bought the birds in the late tall 0^1 
early winter rather than in the spring is that it is mucu 
easier to get them at that time than later. 
The quail, which are the particular . subject of tins 
article, were liberated Dec. 17, 1904, Twelve dozen of 
them. There was nearly six inches of snow on the 
ground at the time. We put them out in bunches oh one 
dozen each generally, but we did make sonm of the lots 
eight birds and one or two six birds each. 1 welve quail 
in a lot is small enough, and this number did best Some 
are going to die anywmy, because they are weak, and 
some will get caught by foxes, cats and hawks, y v e 
found it therefore necessary to start with a good^ nuinber 
to each covey so there wmuld be enough left to ‘make a 
ring” after losing the inevitable percentage. The most 
we brought through in any one lot was eight out of 
twelve. The usual number was five to six. One lot 
came out with seven, and one lot of twelve only resulted 
in three birds in the spring. This particular lot we 
thought had been shot into, as the diminution occtin-ed 
all at once. Usually they would disappear one at a tune. 
We liberated each lot directly beside a feeding box. 
The feeding box illustrated show's a covering of pine 
boughs, but we used the limbs of shrub oak at times 
when pine was not easy to get, and they seemed to do 
very well. 
In covering the boxes with boughs they should be 
placed so that the butts are on the ground, and these 
butts should be trimmed free of small branches so that, 
the birds can have easy and free access in and out at a 
limes. In case a foe should come up on one side it is 
quite essential there be a free run left for quick egress 
on the other. , , 
We had fourteen of these feeding boxes tor tlie 
twelve dozen birds. We did all the liberating in one 
day. and as we had a large extent of country to go over, 
It made a long job. I want to acknovvledge here 
very efficient help and advice of Mr. A. F. Wood, of this 
place, in connection with the putting out of these quail 
and in getting those that scattered back to the feed, also 
for. his persistent and methodical care of the various 
coveys during the rest of the wfinter. 
This methodical attendance is absolutely necessary, we 
believe, to get the best results. We found that in the 
middle of the winter it was necessary that the ^^ed be 
replenished once a week at least. Everything feeds then 
hluejays. sparrows, kinglets, chickadees, squirrels and 
mice Crows take some feed, but they, are rather shy of 
the closed-up appearance ot things. Blue] ays a>e a pest, 
as they carry off more gram than they eat. We could 
find no way,' however, to stop their thieving and we had 
to make good the loss. , ^ 
The feed we used is what is sold at the poultry stoie. 
as “scratching food.” It is composed of a number of 
grains and seeds of small size and seemed to fill the 
needs of the case very mcely._ . 
The second day after liberating we visited eveiy teea- 
ing box and found that one-half of the coveys were 
using the shelter and food provided, the rest were scat- 
tered W<= found them, however, close by in peiy in- 
stance and we toled them all back to the feed by laying 
a line of hay chaff on top of the snow from the feed to 
the place where we found them. We also sprinkled a 
little grain in the chaff. This plan worked splendidly, 
and when we again visited the birds we found that they 
had all follow'ed the line of chaff and were all using the 
feed VCe had no more trouble on this account, as when 
the quail once got the grain fairly located they visited 
it regularly thereafter. 
We found it of advantage to clear away the snow' after 
a heavy fall so the sun would melt a bare place, ihe 
birds seemed to like to get on this little bare ground and 
sun themselves. We often saw them so. , , . ' 
We placed all the boxes so that they would have a 
sunny exposure, and we looked for spots where the snow 
did not naturally lie as deep as it did in others. The 
south side of a thick pine tree was as good as any, 
particularly if the tree grew on the south bank of a hil . 
We also tried to get the feeding boxes near quick 
cover,” like a thick swamp or a brushy hillside, so the 
birds could come and go without exposmg ■ themselves 
very much, and a cover they could drop into quickly in 
case an enemy got after them at the feed. 
We liked to have the box near water also, but this we 
do not think is so essential as sorne of the other things. 
Of the twelve dozen that we liberated and cared for 
in this manner we were able to count sixty birds in 
March after the snows were gone — about forty per cent, 
v^anci these birds were ^11 strong, vigorous mdiyidh^ls, 
practically acclimated, and we believe _ they bred early 
and raised good-sized broods. _We think that we lost 
more hens than cocks, so w'e did not get the number of 
broods we would have if the -sixty had been exactly 
mated. We are well satisfied, however, and intend to try 
the same thing again this coming winter and we think 
we can save a larger percentage- this time. 
We think the best way to. liberate is to provide as 
many boxes with cloth top and drop trap door as there 
QUAIL FEEDING TROUGH. 
are to be coveys. Transfer the birds from the shipphig 
crate according to number wanted. Place the liberating 
box on the" ground with the trap door under the edge 
of the roof of the feeding box; put a few branches over 
the whole so the quail will not fly as soon as they leave 
the box; quietly drop the trap door, and step quickly 
away. It is better if the birds come out when no one is 
in sight ; they are more quiet then and will notice the 
feed, which is what is wanted. If the liberating box is 
wanted for use again it can be secured the following day. 
There is no harm then if the covey is flushed, they have 
had a chance to locate the feed and will return to it 
CL gCllll. 
In attending to the birds we bought we also fed a 
number of native coveys. The native quail did the best. 
They were stronger and also more wary. Practically all 
the natives lived after they found the feed. We used 
lines of chaff to tole these to the feed the same as for the 
others. I have in mind one covey of eleven quail that 
THE TROUGH COVERED. 
we got to feeding the middle of January, 1905, that ap- 
parently came through intact. 
We began to look for the native coveys with a view 
of feeding them on the first light snows, and we found 
three coveys. Two other native coveys we found after 
the snows got deep and forced them into the highway. 
They were then seen and reported and we easily got 
them to feed ; they were so hungry they met our efforts 
more than half way. . 
Our experience, so far, leads us to believe that quail 
Avill stand any amount of cold if they can get something 
to eat, as pointed out in a former sketch which was pub- 
lished in your issue of Oct. 15, 1904; also._ that they can 
successfully be led to feeding places by a little study and 
perseverance. . - 
The food should .be placed in a sheltered location 
where it will not be covered up with snow_ or washed 
away by rains; it needs to be replenished at times. When 
the snow is deen all over the country more gram is re- 
quired than at any other time. 
We have this fall a good many quail m our section, 
as many or more than there were two years_ ago, when 
the birds were most plentiful.- This condition is due, 
without the shadow of a doubt, to the work we^_^ve 
'fjone in restocking apd wijjter feeding. Cyrus A. Iaft. 
Telescope Sights for the Squirrel j 
Hunter. 
Telescope sights have been employed on rifles for a 
great many -years, but their use in target shooting and 
in hunting was not at all general prior to five years ' 
ago. Since then they have been adopted by rifle ;i 
shooters in all parts of the country, and the demarid -j 
for them is increasing steadily. Whatever may be in j 
their favor, one thing alone shows that Their use is no j 
mere fad. It is this: That few 'men who adopt telescope ' 
sights discard them for those that do not magnify. In- 
stead, they purchase better glasses until they find The , 
one that seems best adapted to their needs, then stick 
to that one and learn all its peculiarities, so that they ' 
can use it with the utmost precision. 
'The telescope sight is well adapted to use on all 
game wearing fur, and on some varieties that flj', though j 
not all. And as sportsmen quite generally concede that , 
squirrels should he shot with rifles instead of shotguns, | 
the telescope is at its best for squirrel hunting, to. which j 
tk.ese remarks will be confined. ^ 
If ti e average squirrel shooter failed to observe the 
many interesting traits of these little animals closely 
wh'le hunting them in the old way, he cannot fail ro ^ 
give them the closest attention while using the telescope 
as a spy-glass. I hold that he will in time^ come to 
shoot less frequently and to devote more of his time to 
using the glass as he would a field glass, the pastime 
taking stronger and stronger hold on him. The logical 
result will be greater endeavor to kill cleanly or to miss 
entirely. Here is an advantage the, advocates of rifle 
telescopes do not always use in their arguments. ‘‘To 
miss is mystery,” so Tis said; but in squirrel shooting 
with telescope sighted rifles a miss can generally be 
accounted for, since rifles and ammunition are so 
perfect that the personal error can be found without . 
difficulty. In other words, the location of the cross- 
hairs at the moment the trigger is touched will show 
the error plainly if it exists, and a miss is explained as : 
plainly as though it were pointed out by means of a 
diagram. 
It is aggravating to miss an easy shot through shoot- 
ing too high or too low, but one who uses_ the glass 
will soon come to be' glad when the niiss is entirely 
clean, just as he will take pride in placing his shot in 1 
an instantly vital spot, with the satisfying result of see- : 
ing the game drop to the ground and lie there without 
a quiver. Tjiere is little mystery, since he can see just 
where his eTror lay and rate himself soundly for his 
carelessness or haste, resolving to be more careful in 
future. There is no dead reckoning with him. He 
knows just where he is at fault and makes every_ effort 
to improve and does improve if his heart is in the 
thing. 
To me there is nothing connected with my fa,vorite 
sport of squirrel shooting so completely satisfying as: 
to return to camp, after an hour spent in the woods 
between daybreak and breakfast time on an autumn 
morning, with three or four squirrels, each one of 
which was shot cleanly in the head. Perhaps one may 
be justi-cd in detailing to his companion how the shots; 
were m?de, for the satisfaction begins_ when the first- 
Sjcinirrel drops, increases as each one is added to the 
St- ing carried on a bit of latigo leather at the belt, and 
criminates with the arrival at camp with a squirrel for 
each empty shell. T here is no haunting belief 01 
certainty" that any squirrel shot at may be crawling; 
'’'-out to 0 e miserably in its high nest or hollow limb. 
The use of the telescope is worth while. ■ , , l 
if one happens to imiss through some unavoidable 
ap'erev. as he may often do, the glas.s aids him in the 
search he immediately takes up for the crippled squirrel,' 
wh'ch may be hiding on some high limb or lying among 
wild grace vines or dead leaves jierfectly concealed froni 
the unaided eye. One using plain sights must either 
conceal h.imself and watch for a long time for some, 
movement that will show him the location of the cripple,' 
or go away and leave it in its misery— both unsatis-i 
factory in the extreme; but with the glass every_ limb^ 
and hole is brought under close inspection, and if the 
least part of the squirrel’s head is visible it may be put 
out of misery by a carefully aimed shot. 
With those benighted old ladies of both sexes whP 
work themselves up into a frenzy over “the cruelty ol 
shooting squirrels,” I have nothing to- do. If they woulc 
take the trouble to write to some farmer in the West 
or South, wdiose lands are bordered with forests alive 
with squirrels, they would obtain sonie information thai 
would compel them to agree with him that but for tin 
moderate shooting permitted in the autumn months lit; 
would find it merely a waste of time to plant corn foi 
the squirrels to destroy, leaving nothing of any vame 
whatever save the stalks. They^ multiply too rapidh; 
whenever given the free opportunity; and protection at 
of the time can never he thought of for a moment. Thert! 
is no other way, and the person who would attempt^ ti 
stop the sportsman from enjoying the sport of shootinf 
them with the rifle needs enlightenment and needs 1 
very badly. Take the squirrels of Central Park, for ex^ 
ample. If they were permitted to multiply freely the; 
would overrun the park in a very short time, despite th 
prowling cats and the vicious boys who maim or ki; 
them at every opportunity with slingshots and stone? 
Even these squirrels have to be thinned out frequently 
If any cruelty is practiced in the woods it consists 1! 
shooting at squirrels with .shotguns. Evidences of thi 
may be obtained by any person who shoots squirrels 1; 
woods frequented by men with guns. I have dresse 
scores of squirrels whoSjgf skins and hams contained froi 
one to a half dozen -shot that must have caused pamfi 
