EASTERN BOBWHITE 23 



grass, uttering this note in flight, fully a dozen calls in rapid suc- 

 cession, ceasing only with the termination of the flight. 



Although many writers refer to the " bobwhite " note as the call 

 of the cock bird to his sitting mate, Stoddard (1931) says: 



We respectfully express our belief, based upon all tbe data we bave been able 

 to obtain personally, tbat tbe " bobwhite " call note is largely tbe call of the 

 unmated cocks ; ardent fellows eager to mate, but doomed to a summer of 

 loneliness, from lack of physical prowess or an insufficient number of hens 

 to go around. 



The sweetest and loveliest call, entirely different from the fore- 

 going or the following, is the 4-syllable whistle of the female, used 

 to answer the male in spring and to call the young later in the 

 season. My father, who was an expert whistler as well as a keen 

 sportsman, could imitate this note to perfection. He often amused 

 himself, when bobwhites were whistling in spring, by concealing 

 himself in some thick brush and answering the bobwhite call of 

 the male with this enticing note. It was amusing to see the effect 

 on the cock bird, as he came nearer at each repetition of the answer 

 to his call, looking in vain for his expected mate, and sometimes 

 coming within 20 feet before detecting the deception. Once two 

 cocks came to look for the anticipated hen ; then a lively fight ensued, 

 all on account of an imaginary bride. This call consists of four 

 notes, the first and third short, soft, and on a low key, and the 

 second and fourth longer, louder, richer, and on a much higher key. 

 I have seen it written je-hoi-a-cMn, or whoooeee-che, but to me it 

 sounds more like a-loie-a-hee. It is a beautiful, soft, rich note, 

 with a decided emphasis on the second syllable, of a liquid quality 

 with no harsh sounds. 



The third whistling note is the well-known gather call, so often 

 heard during the fall when the flock has become scattered and the 

 birds are trying to get together again, particularly toward night 

 when they are gathering to go to roost. It has also been called the 

 scatter call. It is a loud, emphatic whistle of two parts, slurred 

 together, with an emphasis on the first. It has a human quality and 

 to my mind is much like the whistle that I use to call my dog. It 

 sounds to me like quoi-hee. To Mr. Sandys (1904) 



it sounds very like ka-loi-hee, ka-loi-hee, especially when the old hen is doing 

 the calling. There are many variations of it, too, ichoil-kee representing a 

 common one. It is an open question if the cock utters this call, although some 

 accomplished sportsmen have claimed that he does. The writer has been a 

 close observer of quail and would think nothing of calling young birds almost 

 to his feet, yet he has never been able to trace this call to the old male ; that 

 is, as a rallying call to the brood. He is well aware that young males use it in 

 replying to the mother, but he has yet to see a male of more than one season 

 utter it. 



