by G. Laverne Crowell

Created on: May 15, 2008

The dawn broke clear, not a wisp of white to be observed anywhere. At seven a.m. in the morning the temperature had just cleared 90 degrees. It was July 4th in beautiful bountiful Arizona. Arizona, it should be noted at this time, abounds with wildlife of every type. One of the more graceful and pleasant species of this wildlife is the Gamble quail. They are lovingly referred to as "Desert quail" by local residents. "Desert quail" are somewhat prolific during the spring, summer and fall, producing between five and 20 offspring per family. Though this may seem to be a rather large family, it must be noted at this point that the quail are a favorite dish with Mr. Coyote. And due to their size, one is not a main course.

In order to further provide stage sets for this episode, it must be brought to your attention that in the spring of this year, a four foot trench was excavated behind our trailer. This trench was being prepared for the installation new electric, water and phone lines. The trench was constructed in a manner to allow dirt to be piled high between it and the fence. The width of this trench was approximately 18 to 24 inches.

At this stage of the story, we must return to the original date above. I was outside enjoying the lovely morning and tending to various farm chores of feeding the chicken and watering the crop. The terms 'chickens' and 'crop' are to be translated as 'doves and quail' and 'grass'. During these duties a family of desert quail penetrated the rear fence and proceeded to venture toward the feeding area. This particular family was within the normal size of approximately 15 young and two loving parents. The young quail were new hatched and appeared to match the size of a fifty cent coin. Imagine if you can a feather of that size with two toothpicks protruding down. This should paint a realistic mental photograph of the young.

The loving parents proceeded over the three foot mound of dirt and across the trench with graceful ease. However the rest of the family, being a bit smaller and not as sure footed, proceeded to drop into the construction trap with vigor until not one small one was out of the trench. Mother quail immediately recognized the situation as one requiring emergency response. She proceeded to produce extensive noise as only would be emitted by a quail in such a situation. She jumped into the trench itself in an attempt to teach the young how easy escape would be. Having failed in her attempt at instructing the young in the

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