TO-DAY’S NATURE NOTE

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 121, 15 February 1935, Page 10

TO-DAY’S NATURE NOTE

A Quail’s Clever Stiam Recently while sitting on a log overlooking a scrub-clad valley, I noticed a mother quail with twelve young. These appeared to be about a week old, but could not run very fast. A hawk circling high above observed tlie family, and swooped ■ down to investigate. Sensing the danger, the mother uttered a peculiar cry. The young quail immediately stopped dead, and crouched low to the ground. So 'closely did they resemble tlie scrub around them that had I not noticed their positions I would not have known they were there.

Tlie mother quail suddenly developed a broken wing, and fluttered laboriously along the ■ ground. The hawk quickly gave chase, but each vicious dive missed. When about thirty yards away from her family the quail recovered, and flew into the thick scrub. The disgruntled hawk circled around three or lour times without sighting the crouching young, and then departed. Five minutes later the mother reappeared, and all was again peaceful.—“ Dave” (Eketaliuna).