Boh -white 239 



iiest which the outraged owners would at once 

 desert ? 



Just as baby chickens follow the mother 

 about, so downy bob-whites run after both 

 their parents and learn which seeds, grain, in- 

 sects and berries they may safely ei.t. Man, 

 with his gim and dog and mowing machines, is 

 their worst enemy, of course; then comes the 

 8ly fox and sneaking weasel that spring upon 

 them from ambush, and the hawk that drops 

 upon them like a thunderbolt. Birds have 

 enemies above, below, and on every side. Is 

 it any wonder that they are timid and shy? A 

 note of alarm from Mamma White summons the 

 chicks, half-running, half-flying, to huddle 

 close to her or to take shelter beneath her short 

 wings. Their little grouse cousins find pro- 

 tection in a more original way. When the 

 mother is busy sitting on a second or third 

 clutch of eggs, it is Bob himself, a pattern of 

 all the domestic virtues, who takes full charge 

 of the family. When the last chicks are ready 

 to join their older brothers and sisters, the bevy 

 may contain three or four dozen birds, all de- 

 votedly attached to one another. At bed time 

 they squat in a circle on the ground, tails toward 

 the centre of the ring, heads pointing outward 

 to detect an enemy coming from any direction. 

 As if their vigilance were not enough. Bob 

 usually remains outside the ring to act as 



