ARIZONIQUES

A Guide to Places, Events, and People MEARNS' QUAIL

Tens of thousands of Mearns' quail scurry through the high grasslands and oak woodlands of southeastern Arizona. Despite its flamboyant plumage (the white spots account for the nickname "harlequin quail"), the Mearns' ability to conceal itself rates eleven on a scale of one to ten. So elusive is the bird that in the 1950s professional ornithologists scoured its range and counted none. So the Mearns' quail was added to the rare and endangered species list.

But Tucson outdoorsmen Jim and Seymour Levy knew better. Taking along the ornithologists, Ted Knipe, Arizona Game and Fish Department regional supervisor, and a couple of bird dogs, they flushed as many as 25 coveys in a square mile, with up to 14 birds per covey. So much for the endangered species label.

Once called the Massena quail (for the French marshal Andre Massena), the bird was later renamed for Edgar Alexander Mearns, a U. S. Army physician-naturalist who served in Arizona at the turn of the century. Mearns classified it Cyrtonyx montezuma mearnsi.

The Mearns' quail is sometimes called "fool's quail" because of its reluctance to flush. But the birds are anything but fools. Richard Brown, a Game and Fish research biologist who studied the Mearns' for nine years, tried capturing them with dogs and a hoop net with no luck. The quail would take flight the split second before the net slammed against the ground. Brown finally resorted to night hunting, blinding the birds with a bright light while he dropped the net.

Mearns' quail thrive at elevations of 4,500 to 5,500 feet, again proving they're no fools. They've chosen some of the prettiest country in the Southwest in which to live.

ARIZONIQUES Unique to Arizona and the Southwest. MISSILE MUSEUM 'QUERIDO PATRON'

The most recent publication of the Friends of the University of Arizona Library is a stunning booklet, Querido Patron-Letters from Maynard Dixon to Lorenzo Hubbell. The superb design of the publication by Christina Watkins reflects the total quality. The introduction, annotations, and bibliography by Bernard L. Fontana, University of Arizona field historian, enhance and clarify the content. Fontana is that alltoo-rare triple-threat who can inform, entertain, and enchant. The booklet contains 23 of Maynard Dixon's letters written to Don Lorenzo Hubbell between 1902 and 1923. Dixon, born in Fresno, California, was a working Southwestern artist his entire life. Though he died 43 years ago, the popularity of his work constantly increases, and the recognition of his talent widens every year. (See Arizona Highways, March, 1987.) Don Lorenzo Hubbell, the querido patron (dear boss), was born to a Spanish mother in New Mexico Territory in 1855. He came to Navajo country as a youth of 21. And from his headquarters at Ganado, he spent 54 years building a trading post enterprise. Both men live in legend. The letters from an artist to one of the last true patrons reveal much of the tone of the times. Cameos of all the delights and disasters of life are in these 34 pages. Querido Patron is available from the Friends of the University of Arizona Library, Main Library A-349, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721; $3.95, softcover.

Off Interstate Route 19 near Green Valley, the world's only nuclear missile museum is open for business. A Titan II missile silo taken off active alert in November, 1982, became a museum last May. Charles Niblett, the retired Air Force officer instrumental in starting the project, said he considers it a report to the nation on how Americans were protected. "I don't feel this museum is basically any different from Old Ironsides in Boston Harbor."

The Pima Air Museum, which runs the site, had to get approval from the Pentagon before opening for business. Among the conditions that had to be met was proving to Soviet officials the site was no longer active.

To date, more than 30,000 tourists from as far away as China, Iran, South Korea, and Greenland have visited the silo, which is open seven days a week with hour-long tours beginning at 9 A.M. and continuing on the hour throughout the day. The last tour begins at 4 P.M. Guests are required to wear hard hats to protect against low ceilings and sharp corners. Reservations are required. Telephone 791-2929. -Leo W. BanksFind out what's happening and where to go in and around the Phoenix metropolitan area with the Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun Convention and Visitors Bureau's free "Visitors Guide." The full-color, 80-page publication includes many of the attractions, recreational facilities, shopping opportunities, resorts, and hotels the Valley offers. In addition, there are monthly calendars of events and suggested day trips from the metropolitan area-including Grand Canyon and the red rock country of Sedona. The guide even includes a special section on newcomer services for those planning to move to the Valley.

FREE PHOENIX GUIDE

For a copy, write to: Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun Convention and Visitors Bureau, Free Visitors Guide, 505 N. Second St., Suite 300, Phoenix, AZ 85004.

The bureau also offers prerecorded, up-to-the-minute events information through its "Visitors Hotline," telephone 252-5588.

RETURN OF THE DINOSAURS

Though you may not have been around 225 million years ago when the oldest dinosaur known to man roamed the range in northern Arizona, take heart: the Mesa Southwest Museum is bringing a herd of the incredible creatures back by popular demand. "Return of the Dinosaurs," an exhibit opening October 15 and running through January 15, will feature seven animated life-sized dinosaurs stomping and roaring through a life-like jungle that transports visitors back to the dawn of timeThe cast of the exhibit includes a five-foot-tall baby brontosaurus and its mother, a pentaceratops, a flying pteranodon, an ankylosaurus, an allosaurus, and a parasaurolophus. They join the museum's resident prehistoric beast "Sarah Tops," an animated roaring triceratops purchased with the proceeds from the museum's well-received first dinosaur exhibit, "Dinosaurs Alive!" held two years ago.Sarah Tops keeps a watchful (and roving) eye on patrons of the newly expanded museum, which has chronicled the history of central Arizonafrom conquistadors to cowboys-for the past 10 years. The Mesa Southwest Museum is located at 53 N. MacDonald, in downtown Mesa. Admission is $1.75 for children 5 through 12 and $3.50 for those 13 and older. Telephone 834-2230.

WINNING WATER

Tucson's water has been rated the best all-around drinking water in North America by the American Water Works Association, a 44,000-member nonprofit scientific and educational society. The judges evaluated tap water from various United States and Canadian cities for clarity, aroma, and flavor and described Tucson's water, which comes from deep wells, as clear and odorless with a "crisp taste."

HOT TOWN

Although Lake Havasu City, Arizona, is best known as the latter-day home of London Bridge, Weatherwise magazine recently gave it another claim to fame. The town and Laredo, Texas, tied for the honor of hottest locality in the United States. In 1986 both cities recorded the nation's highest temperature 34 times.

CALENDAR

October 3 and 4, Sedona. Fiesta del Tlaquepaque presents two days of American Indian and Mexican arts, crafts, music, dance, and food. Telephone 282-4928.

October 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31, various locations. Celebrate Arizona Public Lands Month by helping clean up litter at the Grand Canyon, Coronado National Forest, Salt River, Davis Dam, and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Telephone 840-3083.

October 9 through 11, Chiricahua Mountains. The Arizona Storytellers Conference provides a program of sharing stories, storytelling techniques, and professional storytellers in action. Telephone 791-4811, or 326-8294.

October 9 through 11, Grand Canyon. The Fred Harvey Rug Auction. Up to 700 contemporary handloomed and handspun museum-quality Navajo rugs will be auctioned, offering the public a 30 to 50 percent savings from gallery prices. Telephone 638-2631.

October 9 through 11, Tucson. Celebrating the diverse ethnic mixture of the city, the Tucson Meet Yourself festival features food, crafts, costumes, and dance. Telephone 621-3392.

October 11, 18, 25, and November 1, Phoenix. Arizona Historical Society Museum lecture series "Early Pioneers in Central Arizona" explores the role of the Scots, Mexicans, Mormons, and Chinese in the settling of the state. Telephone 255-4470.

October 24, Tempe. Aerobithon. Volunteers collect pledges and endure aerobics, running, and walking to raise funds for handicapped children. Telephone 266-5976.

October 24 through November 22, Phoenix. Heard Museum Guild Designers Showhouse. Tour a classic Mission Monterey house in which the talents of selected local interior designers are showcased. Telephone 252-8840.

For a more complete calendar, free of charge, please write the Arizona Office of Tourism, Department CE, 1480 East Bethany Home Road, Phoenix, 85014. Unless otherwise noted, all telephone numbers are within area code 602.