52 PROPAGATION OF WILD BIRDS 



well and hardy, and not a bird has died of any disease from 

 the start. They remain with the hens, and stay close about 

 the keeper's house. The scaled quails are especially tame, 

 and persist in following the bantams into the hen-house, or 

 going in on their own account to forage. The keeper drives 

 them out, but often in a few minutes they are back again. 

 The temperature has already been down to 22 below zero, 

 without harm to them. The Senator has royal good times 

 with his birds, and is a firm believer in the practicability of 

 propagating native game-birds. If any one is skeptical on 

 the subject, I advise them to talk with Senator McLean. 



Later Developments. While reading proof of the above, 

 March 31, 1915, I would add that the bob-whites, though 

 . of southerly stock, have wintered with inconsiderable loss. 

 They range freely, but return every day for feeding. 

 The scaled quails did well into January. Then a spell of 

 alternate heavy rains and sudden bitter cold killed about 

 two thirds of them. They refuse to sleep, like the bob- 

 whites, under shelters, but persist in roosting in cedars 

 near the lodge. During the above rains they became soaked 

 and chilled. After this spell no more died, and a nice 

 covey of them are now in fine condition. Yesterday I 

 flushed them at the edge of the woods close to the house; 

 they alighted nearby, and stood and watched me. They 

 stay persistently, refusing to be driven off. If pursued, 

 they run with great speed. Senator McLean is very fond 

 of them because they are so docile about the house, and 

 . considers them remarkably well able to care for themselves. 

 The main problem is whether they can normally winter 

 in the Northern States. Apropos of this, A. G. Mac Vi- 

 car raised them in New Jersey for three years without 

 set-back, and wintered them successfully each year. More- 

 over, it is believed that there is a; tendency with birds 



