QUAIL, BOBWHITE, PARTRIDGE 53 



sections of the country as in parts of Oklahoma far- 

 mers refuse to permit gunners to venture on their prem- 

 ises in pursuit of bobwhite. 



The quail does not migrate and therefore is always 

 exposed to the dangers of winter, and where they have 

 once been exterminated efforts to replace them by other 

 quail imported from the south have seldom been success- 

 ful. The most hopeful indication for the protection of 

 the species is in the growing comprehension of its eco- 

 nomic value. Quail are extremely prolific, and under 

 ordinary conditions might survive the attacks of all 

 natural enemies, but when the climate sweeps off all the 

 birds in a particular region the progress of re-establish- 

 ment is slow. 



In old times in the south the practice of netting quail 

 was very generally indulged in. Powder and shot were 

 costly, while the net could be used over and over again. 

 This method of taking them, at first practiced only as a 

 means of procuring food, was carried on later for the 

 purpose of securing living birds to sell to persons who 

 desired to restock their covers with quail. Presumably 

 it has been in vogue up to within a short time, if not 

 now practiced in parts of Oklahoma and in Texas. 



A chief danger to the quail of the south is the non- 

 enforcement of the game laws, and the market shooting 

 by negroes, many of whom gun persistently almost the 

 whole year round and are excellent shots. 



The ordinary bobwhite is the northernmost and best 

 known species of this genus. Yet the smaller, darker 

 quail of the south and of Florida and the grayer form 



