88 The Partridge Family 



disturbed districts does it ever show any of the 

 resourcefulness frequently so puzzling to the pur- 

 suer of the Bob-white of the North. Its range 

 extends over western and southern Texas, and 

 in Mexico from Guadalajara to Tamaulipas and 

 Nuevo Leon. 



It is a common bird of the prairies and the Rio 

 Grande valley, but it is seldom if ever found at 

 a greater elevation than two thousand feet. Its 

 food consists of grain, the seeds of grasses and 

 wild growths, berries, and insects. When flushed, 

 it speeds away to the thickest available cover, 

 where it lies very close. The nest in the majority 

 of cases is built in a clump of close growing grass, 

 and, as frequently is the case in the North, it is 

 apt to be domed over by interwoven herbage. 

 The number of eggs laid by one bird varies be- 

 tween twelve and fifteen ; when a greater num- 

 ber are found, it is more than probable that 

 two. hens have deposited them. In all sporting 

 qualifications this bird is worthy of pursuit, espe- 

 cially in a region where there has been a fair 

 amount of shooting. 



In addition to the usual enemies, human, furred, 

 and feathered, the Texan Bob-white has a deadly 

 foe in the rattlesnake, which is common through- 

 out its haunts. The terrestrial habit of the game 

 leaves it peculiarly open to attack by the coiled 

 peril, and it is no uncommon thing to find a snake 



