38 THE OREGON NATURALIST. 



» 



.answer to inquiries, Mr.Thompson ^^ rites: ^^'^ ^^erself, while the male was on the outside 



"About one year ago I had twenty-five Bob- carrying material within reach of his mate, 



white Quails sent me from Omaha. They When the birds are disturbed during the ]3ro- 



reached me in good condition, I kept ihem in ^ess of building, they will abandon the nest." 



a house I had on my firm, until in February, I" another place we read: "The eggs vary 



I turned them out in a small park I have on i" numbers. I have found a great many nes.s, 



my farm. I never saw nor heard of them ^^n eggs were the least, and twenty-seven the 



afterwards. The experience of raising the "^o^^' ^0""^ '^ one nest, fifteen to twenty 



'Bob- white,' has been a failure in Oregon and ""'^ ^^e usual number. The eggs being of 



Washington. Several attempts have beea ^"'^h a pure white co'.or, are very easily stained, 



made, but the result in most cases have been and it is very seldom a full set can be found, 



similar to mme. The Bob-white, roosts near ^'^'^o^^ ^ ^"'"'^e'' "^ ^'^'""^'^ o"^^-^' 



the ground, and it is believed it is the victim . ^^S'-^'"' " ^^^e young have a peculiar peep, 



f • 1 1 * „.,^ „fi,^,- ^,,,^11 ,io similar to a voune turkey and usually utters 



of mmks, weasels, rats and other small de- j t, j y 



structive animals with which our Oregon and two or three peeps in succession. When dis- 



Washington woods are filled." ^"''^'^^ ^^'^^ ^^''^ >'°""g '^'^y S'^^ ^^""^'^^ 



Mr. Thompson's belief that many of these lo»d peeps when the old ones will fly about the 



, - J J , ,1 11 ,.^,i.,„,, • ,„.^Uoi,i„ iutruder and run around with their feathers 



birds are destroyed by small rodents is piobably ^ 



1 1 I f fu: ; tu^ ^„i^ ruffled up and their wings down making a 



mot incorrect, and no djubt this is the mam _ ' & & 



, , , .. • • 1, , crackling noise, 



reason why they do not increase more lapidly. ^^ 



».i »•• 1 .. fi f ti,=;,. ^„o,-,;f„ The flock will stay togetlier if not disturbed 



At least it does not seem that their scaicity j b 



,, , ^. M I I . .1 1 .,1 ^f fU,. ^i;,„,( during the whole winter. W!ien roostin" they 



could be attributed to the lack ot the climate '' o j 



^ , • • . sit close together in a bunch with their heeds 



to meet their requirements. i' 



T • r J .1 t 1 • „ i;i,«... outward and when disturbed, they start from 



I am informed that several pair were liber- ^ j ^ 



, T , .u /^ I u- ■ If ,u^ the bunch in a flutter in all directions. In 



ated along the Columbia river, and from there • 



, , 1 u .1 .1 1 11 spring they disband and mate." 



they nave spread south until they have reached f ti j 



the submbs of Portland, in considerable Hervey M. Hoskins. 



numbers. An interesting letter from Mr. W. A. Howe, 



I have never heard of but one nest being of Carleton, Oregon, was then read by the 



found in Ynmhill county, and that was de- President. Mr. Howe, writes that; "In 1893, 



stroyed before the set was complete. I know Mr. Chas. E. Ladd and myself purchased six 



very little about the nesting habits of the Bob- dozen Bob-whites, in Wichita, Kansas, and 



white, except what I have read. Therefore I had them shipped by express, to my residence, 



cannot perhaps do better than to quote from an at Carleton. The birds came through in 



article in a recent number of the "Oologist": poor condition, one dozen having died upon 



"The nest of the Quail is very easy to find, as the way. 



they build on the ground. It is usually a Upon ar'ival I placed them in a room 

 hollow, scratched in the ground, well lined with a very high ceiling, putting fir brush 

 and arched over with grass; with an entrance on the floor to make a covering for them 

 at one side. '' * * Their nests with fresh eggs and kept them there until the snow had 

 may be found from .A.pril to July, and one of entirely disappeared. I finally liberated 52 

 their favorite places to build, is in the ridge of strong birds, some of which were liberated 

 an old road, where the grass has been left near Carlton, and the rest on the farm of 

 standing. Both birds assist in building the Ladd & Howe, two miles fiom North Yam- 

 nest. The material of which it is composed is hill From all ap|>earances, these birds bred 

 gathered close at hand, and I have seen the and did well during the first year, and are 

 female in the nest seemingly fixing things to still to be fouml in these localities*** 



