106 The Wilson Bulletin.— No. 45. 



■ence of a flock of Bob-whites during one entire winter, and 

 succeeded in keeping them somewhat at ease by furnishing 

 food twice a day. They even spent the night under an ever- 

 green tree in the yard, but while they came regularly night 

 and morning for the ration of grain, they spent the day for- 

 aging in the fields and woods in the vicinity. However, one 

 particularly stormy day they came home shortly after din- 

 ner, apparently mistaking the partial twilight of the snow- 

 storm for evening twilight. They skurried about in the 

 driving snow and cutting wind for the scattered grain, then 

 prepared for the night. The wind was sucking under their 

 tree to such an extent that they found it no protection, so 

 they selected a spot nearer the house, within plain view of the 

 window, and proceeded to form their bomb. First one step- 

 ped around over the spot selected, then another joined him, 

 the two standing pressed close together, forming the first 

 arc of the circle. Another and another joined themselves to 

 this nucleus, always with heads pointing out, tails touching, 

 until the circle was complete. But two were left out ! One 

 stepped up to the group, made an opening, then crowded 

 himself in, with much ruffling of feathers. One remained 

 outside, with no room anywhere to get in. He, too, ran up 

 to the circle of heads, then round and round, trying here 

 and there in vain ; it was a solid mass. Nothing daunted 

 he nimbly jumped upon the line of backs pressed into a nearly 

 smooth surface, felt here and there for a yielding spot, be- 

 gan wedging himself between two brothers, slipped lower 

 and lower, and finally became one of the bristling heads. In 

 this defensive body against frost and living enemy we may 

 leave them. 



