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In the latter part of August and through September " Partridges" are fond of 

 getting out on grassy places at the edge of bush pastures where they gorge themselves 

 upon these insects. If examined at this season their crops will often be found to be 

 packed full of them. 



In the cool mornings and evenings of September grasshoppers are lethargic and 

 may be found on the weed stems in great numbers. At such times the " Partridges" 

 can get them easily without exposing themselves too far from cover, and they gen- 

 erally avail themselves of their opportunity, thereby doing themselves and the farm- 

 ers much good. 



THE QUAIL. 



This beautiful game bird, besides furnishing considerable sport and delicious 

 food, is an insect eater and a notable weed destroyer, and therefore of the greatest 

 possible economic importance to the farmer and fruit grower. Unfortunately for 

 the rest of the Province this bird is confined to our southern and southwestern coun- 

 ties, and even there it is not now nearly as abundant as it used to be, or as it should 

 be. 



The Quail is one of the birds that is directly beneficial to the agriculturist; all 

 its life is spent among the crops upon which he expends his labor and from which 

 he derives his profit, and it is constantly engaged in destroying the insects that are 

 most destructive to the plants raised by his care under cultivation. 



For the first two or three months of their lives young quail feed almost entirely 

 on insects, and each one will, while it is growing, consume nearly its own weight of 

 them every day. To obtain this quantity the number eaten must be very large. As 

 the birds approach maturity they vary their diet by adding the seeds of various 

 weeds, grasses, etc., to their fare, but still take large numbers of insects so long as 

 they are obtainable, grasshoppers in the autumn forming one of the principal articles 

 of their food. After these fail they are compelled to find their sustenance in the 

 stubble fields and weed patches, where they glean sufficient food to keep themselves 

 in good condition until the supply is cut off by deep snow ; then it is that our quail 

 suffer from lack of food and die in large numbers from starvation and cold. 



If well fed, quail can withstand the severity of our winters quite readily, but if 

 starved they, like all animals, gradually succumb to cold, and it is by reason of their 

 inability to obtain food when deep snow covers the ground that so many are lost 

 every winter. This could be prevented if the farmers and fruit growers in the quail 

 counties would afford the birds a little food and protection to carry them over 

 the latter part of the winter season in which the greatest mortality occurs. 



A simple method of affording the requisite protection and food is to arrange 

 three or four forked poles so that they support each other in tent form, and throw 

 over them a little pea straw, buckwheat stalks, or any such waste stuff, so as to have 

 a hollow underneath, into which the birds can go and be safe from storms. Into these 

 places throw a few measures of tailings or waste grain occasionally, and the quail 

 will be able to maintain themselves in safety. 



For the slight trouble necessary to provide a few of these shelters around a farm 

 and orchard the farmer and fruit grower will be amply repaid the following season 

 by a good stock of quail to keep down the insects and weeds that destroy his crops 

 during the summer, and to provide sport for himself and his friends in the autumn. 



