272 Missouri Agricultural Report, 



1 to April 30 there are four Bobwhites to each square mile of land, or 

 354,820 in the two states. The crop of each bird holds half an ounce of 

 •seed and is filled twice a day. Since at each of the two daily meals, 

 weed seeds constitute at least half the contents of the crop, or one- 

 fourth of an ounce, a half-once daily is consumed by each bird. On 

 this basis, the total consumption of weed seeds by Bobwhites from 

 September 1 to April 30 in Virginia and .North Carolina amounts to 

 1,341 tons." 



The above facts and figures may well be used in argument to sub- 

 stantiate the claim by many people that the time has arrived wdien our 

 beloved partridge is of far more value to us while living than after he 

 is dead. 



NiGHTHAWK: ''bullbat:" {Chordetles YirgiHiauus) . 



Male. — Upper parts black, with markings of wiiite and buff. Wing cressed by 

 broad wliite bars ; tail black or nearly so, with broken bars of buff, with white band 

 at end on all but middle feathers ; white throat ; chin and breast black ; belly barred 

 with black and white. 



Female. — No white on tail and washed with buff below. 



Length. — Ten inches; expanse of wings, 23 inches. 



Range. — Eastern North America; breeds from the Gulf States to Labrador; winters 

 in South America. 



Nest. — On the bare ground in fields or open woods, sometimes on flat-topped houses 

 in cities. Eggs heavily spotted and blotched, closely resembling the ground ; two in 

 number. 



The Goatsucker Family is represented in North Carolina by three 

 distinct species. These are the Chuck-wills 's Widow, which is confined 

 chiefly to the eastern portion of the state. It is the largest of the three. 

 The Whip-poor-will, which is of pretty general distribution, is the 

 second species, and the third is the Nighthawk or "Bullbat," known to 

 all observers of bird life from the coast to the highest mountain re- 

 gions. Because of the fact that the activities of these birds are largely 

 nocturnal, much confusion has arisen as to their identification, and the 

 writer has for many years been familiar with the query, "Are the bull- 

 bat and the whip-poor-will the same bird?' " The whip-poor-will, al- 

 though about the size of the nighthawk, appears in flight to be heavier. 

 This is probably on account of the wings being shorter. From tip to tip 

 the wings of an average specimen measures seventeen inches, while the 

 same measurement made of a typical nighthawk shows twenty-three 

 inches. The whip-poor-will is decidedly a night bird and rarely makes 

 its appearance before late dusk. Its eggs are deposited usually on old 

 leaves, generally to be found on the ground in a thicket, while the nest 

 of the nighthawk is a smooth place on the bare ground, either in the 

 open woods and fields. All of the representatives of this family feed 

 upon insects, which they capture while on the wing. Hence the ap- 



