BOB WHITE. 145 



sent out to several hundred sportsmen in the United States 

 and British Possessions. I did this because I desired to 

 obtain the opinions of practical sportsmen on the subject, 

 to eke out the information which I had acquired through 

 my own observation as to the habits of Bob White. As 

 the greater number of those applied to were utter 

 strangers to me, it was rather a presumptuous proceed- 

 ing, but I relied upon that bond of sympathy which 

 exists between all true sportsmen, and my faith in the 

 brotherhood was not misplaced. The answers came in 

 from every direction, and nearly all showed a desire to 

 communicate accurate and trustworthy information. I 

 beg to reiterate here, to each and all, the thanks which I 

 returned as the answers were received. Two hundred 

 and seventy-six sportsmen responded. The answers to 

 some of the questions I have tabulated, and taken in 

 some places the average, in others giving the different 

 views, pro and con, on various disputed points. Many 

 would leave one or more questions unanswered, or would 

 not answer positively, consequently the footings I give 

 do not show the total number of persons from whom I 

 received answers. The summary is as follows: The num- 

 ber reared in an average brood is thirteen. One hundred 

 and twenty-eight who answer say that two broods are 

 frequently reared by a pair of birds in one season, while 

 eighty-eight deny it. One hundred and eighty credit the 

 cock with assisting the hen in setting, while fifty do not. 

 Twenty-six say that Bob White migrates, one hundred 

 and forty-five deny it, and forty-nine say that he does so 

 to a limited extent. Ninety-five believe that he has the 

 power to withhold his scent at will, seventy-seven say 

 not, and thirty give what I believe is the true explana- 

 tion, as hereinafter mentioned. Seventy-six prefer the 

 pointer, one hundred and fourteen the setter, and many 



like both. Where the kind of setter is mentioned, it is 

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