Sbe Marbler 107 



matter to find a pair breeding in any of the Boroughs, though I believe a 

 few are left. On the Hempstead plains in Nassau County, and only a short 

 distance over the city line, a good many pairs breed every season. In the 

 vicinity of New York the Meadowlark is an all-the-year resident, and dur- 

 ing cold, snowy spells in winter he sometimes comes almost to our door 

 in quest of food. 



This bird ought to increase in number now that they are no longer re- 

 garded as a game bird, which was the case a few years ago and a great many 

 were killed by gunners, especially near large cities where game is scarce. 

 It was only fifteen or twenty years ago that gunners came to Long Island in 

 September and October by the score and slaughtered Robins, as well as 

 Meadowlarks, by the bagful. We are all thankful that the day of such 

 killing is passed, never to return. 



Meadow Larks build their nests upon the ground and conceal them well- 

 A full set of eggs ranges from four to six. They are of good size, white, 

 spotted brown, and some examples are remarkably handsome. The note, 

 or song of the Meadowlark, if it may be so called, is soft and pleasing. 



Bob-White 



( Colinns virginianus) 



IT WILL probably be a difficult task for anyone to find a breeding pair of 

 Bob-Whites anywhere within the limits of Greater New York now, at 

 least as far as the Long Island portion of the City's territory is concerned. 

 Yet they were here two years ago, one brood certainly — and a good big one, 

 too — on the present site of Belmont Park race track. They have all disap- 

 peared from that locality, however, though I do not think that many of 

 them were shot. The last Ouail I ever saw in the citv limits was brought 

 to me two years ago late in December by some boys who had found it with 

 a crippled wing and unable to fly. I placed the bird in a commodious cage 

 and gave it food which he took readily, but he beat himself against the 

 bars of the cage so much that after a few days I liberated him in a large 

 conservatory that was densely filled with growing plants. Here he wintered 

 very nicely. His wing healed so that when we gave him liberty in April 

 he was able to take a long flight and headed straight for his old haunts. 

 Twenty years ago the pleasing call of Bob- White was commonly heard at 

 Creedmoor and many places in the old town of Flushing, but it has long ago 

 disappeared from these places. 



The Quail is a prolific bird, raising usually two broods in a season, each 

 brood numbering from ten to twenty. The nest is placed upon the ground, 

 carefully concealed, and when the eggs hatch the male bird usually takes 

 charge of the brood while the female proceeds to lay and incubate another 



