THE OOLOOI9T 



168 



NOTES ON THE BOB-WHITE 



Colinus virginianus virginianus 



For illustrations accompanying this 

 article see The Oologist, Vol XXXII, 

 No. 12, December 1915. 



Ten years ago, before that mad rush 

 of "Suburban Homers" had spread 

 themselves and their dwellings over 

 the fields, surrounding what was then 

 the little town of Stamford, quail were 

 abundant. 



One heard their familiar whistle 

 echoing back and forth across the 

 fields from dawn until sunset through- 

 out the spring, summer and fall. In 

 winter little groups of them would 

 gather about the barn yards, oc- 

 casionally becoming confident enough 

 to feed along with the chickens. 

 Others would make their winter quar- 

 ters in the fields where stacks of 

 corn, left standing, provided ample 

 food and shelter. Indeed, one knew 

 Bob-white almost as well as the Robin 

 or Bluebird, during these years before 

 the fields and thickets were trans- 

 formed into suburban towns, with 

 electric lights, cement sidewalks and 

 near-artistic homes. 



The Quail diminished as rapidly as 

 the improvement idea gained head- 

 way. Their haunts became infested 

 with a think against which they could 

 not fight successfully. The fields in 

 which they had always nested were 

 turned into lawns, their winter shelt- 

 ers disappeared, more hunting licenses 

 were issued as the population in- 

 crease and the Quail vanished. 



For several years I no longer heard 

 those familiar call notes, they were 

 gone I supposed, for good. 



Not only did they disappear from 

 their old haunts close to the town, 

 but even back in the country, where 

 conditions are as primitive as they 



were fifty years ago, they were also 

 scarce. 



A few years later, in 1911, I was 

 surprised and delighted to find some 

 of the birds breeding close to Stam- 

 ford, in some of the fields that were 

 left, and since that season they have 

 increased almost as rapidly as they 

 disappeared. 



There seems to have been a general 

 readjustment to the new conditions 

 and wherever there were fields of 

 standing grass during 1913, there were 

 also Quail. This I attribute to the 

 fact that almost everywhere, people 

 are at last learning the value of con- 

 servation. 



The spring and summer of 1913 in 

 this part of the country, were ideal 

 for all species of birds. There were 

 no cold continued rains in the breed- 

 ing season nor was there a decided 

 drouth as there often is in August. 

 The entire season was even and per- 

 fect and probably more nestlings 

 were successfully reared to maturity 

 during 1913 than in any previous 

 season for many years. 



What is even more important, up 

 to the present writing, (Feb. 1, 1914) 

 we have had an extremely open win- 

 ter with very little snow, none of the 

 sleet storms, so disastrous to winter 

 bird life, and with a few exceptions 

 comparatively high temperatures. 



Another month will see the first 

 spring thaws, and if we have good 

 weather until that time, the Quail 

 will have experienced the most ideal 

 twelve months in a long span of years. 



I am hoping for a great increase in 

 breeding pairs, during the coming 

 season, and feel sure that no dis- 

 appointment awaits me. 



In passing from the above rough 

 outline of the Quails past and pos- 

 sible future, it may be of interest to 

 some of the Oologist readers to know 

 the proper manner of feeding Quail 



