﻿362 
  

  

  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  is 
  a 
  rare 
  bird 
  in 
  all 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  excepting 
  Long 
  Island, 
  the 
  lower 
  

   Hudson 
  valley, 
  and 
  the 
  Delaware 
  valley. 
  Numerous 
  importations 
  of 
  

   southern 
  or 
  western 
  birds 
  have 
  done 
  little, 
  if 
  any, 
  permanent 
  good 
  in 
  restor- 
  

   ing 
  its 
  former 
  abundance. 
  Every 
  year 
  we 
  hear 
  of 
  broods 
  of 
  bob 
  whites 
  

   reared 
  in 
  western 
  or 
  central 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  the 
  Upper 
  Hudson 
  valley, 
  but 
  

   the 
  severity 
  of 
  our 
  winters, 
  and 
  the 
  depredations 
  of 
  cats 
  and 
  other 
  predacious 
  

   animals, 
  and 
  the 
  persecution 
  of 
  gtmners 
  and 
  pot 
  himters, 
  combine 
  to 
  keep 
  

   the 
  birds 
  continually 
  in 
  check. 
  

  

  Haunts 
  and 
  habits. 
  The 
  Bobwhite 
  prefers 
  open 
  fields 
  of 
  grass 
  or 
  stubble 
  

   or 
  fallow, 
  with 
  brushy 
  coverts 
  near 
  at 
  hand 
  as 
  a 
  refuge 
  from 
  the 
  storm 
  and 
  

  

  from 
  its 
  enemies. 
  They 
  are 
  wholly 
  

   beneficial 
  in 
  habits, 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  and 
  

   summer 
  partaking 
  largely 
  of 
  insect 
  

   diet 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  and 
  winter 
  of 
  

   weed 
  seeds 
  and 
  waste 
  grain. 
  In 
  May 
  

   the 
  male 
  mounts 
  some 
  fence 
  post, 
  

   stone 
  or 
  other 
  elevated 
  object, 
  and 
  

   whistles 
  his 
  f 
  smiliar 
  Bob 
  -white, 
  or 
  Ah, 
  

   Bob-white, 
  which 
  is 
  variously 
  trans- 
  

   lated 
  by 
  the 
  coimtry 
  people 
  into 
  

   "more 
  wet,'' 
  or 
  "no 
  more 
  wet; 
  "or 
  

   "pease 
  most 
  ripe,'' 
  and 
  "Buckwheat," 
  

   or 
  "Good 
  buckwheat." 
  In 
  the 
  mating 
  

   season 
  the 
  cocks 
  often 
  fight 
  fiercely 
  

   but 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  polygamous 
  and 
  the 
  

   male 
  helps 
  at 
  incubation, 
  sometimes 
  

   continuing 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  nest 
  and 
  young 
  when 
  the 
  female 
  has 
  been 
  acci- 
  

   dentally 
  killed. 
  The 
  nest 
  is 
  placed 
  upon 
  the 
  grormd 
  under 
  a 
  small 
  bush, 
  or 
  

   bunch 
  of 
  grass, 
  or 
  in 
  a 
  briar 
  patch, 
  or 
  beside 
  the 
  fence 
  between 
  cultivated 
  

   fields. 
  It 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  dry 
  hard 
  grasses 
  and 
  bits 
  of 
  grain 
  stubble. 
  The 
  eggs 
  

   are 
  from 
  10 
  to 
  18 
  in 
  number, 
  pure 
  white 
  in 
  color, 
  and 
  pyriform 
  in 
  shape, 
  

   being 
  q-uite 
  pointed 
  at 
  the 
  smaller 
  end. 
  Occasionally 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  37 
  eggs 
  

   have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  one 
  nest, 
  undoubtedly 
  the 
  laying 
  of 
  two 
  or 
  more 
  hens. 
  

   The 
  time 
  of 
  incubation 
  is 
  about 
  24 
  days 
  [Bendire]. 
  The 
  young 
  follow 
  

   their 
  mother 
  from 
  the 
  nest 
  in 
  a 
  day 
  or 
  two 
  after 
  hatching. 
  The}^ 
  are 
  covered 
  

  

  Photo 
  by 
  L. 
  S. 
  Horton 
  

   Bobwhite's 
  nest 
  and 
  egfjs 
  

  

  