Bob Whites, Grouse, etc. 



different in habits and appearance from ours, are confined to the 

 Old World, however firmly their names cling to the American 

 species. That which we call a quail, by any other name would 

 taste as sweet; and it is surely time the characteristic game bird of 

 this country received in all sections its characteristic, distinctive 

 title. Bob White, the name it calls itself, also has the sanction 

 of that dignified, conservative body, the American Ornithologists' 

 Union, than which can there be two higher authorities ? 



Before the snow and ice have been melted by spring sun- 

 shine, Bob White ! ah, Bob White ! a clear staccato whistle, rings 

 out from some plump little feathered breast swelling with tender 

 and sincere emotions. Mates are not easily won: sharp contests of 

 rival males, that fight desperately, like game cocks, occur through- 

 out the pairing season; the demure, coy little sweetheart, con- 

 cealing her admiration for the proud victor strutting before her, 

 only fans his flame by her feigned indifference. In vain he jumps 

 upon a stump and, like a ruffled orator, repeats his protestations. 

 He runs beside her, now bowing, now crossing her path, ardently 

 entreating some sign that his handsome feathers, his gallantry, 

 his musical voice, his sworn devotion to her, have made an im- 

 pression ; but the shy little lady, appearing to be frightened by 

 such ardor, discreetly withdraws, knowing perfectly well, as 

 every coquette must, that such coyness never discourages a suitor 

 worth the having. Marriage is not entered into lightly or irrev- 

 erently by these monogamous birds, unlike their European Mor- 

 mon kin that utterly lack the gallantry and affectionate nature 

 characteristic of the American bird. It is a slander to call Bob 

 White by the name of the disreputable, pugnacious, selfish, mean- 

 looking quail. Rarely, indeed, does he lapse from rectitude and 

 take a second mate. 



In May, a simple nest, or slight depression in the ground, 

 lined with leaves and grasses, is formed sometimes in the stub- 

 ble, in a grassy tussock that meets overhead, and must be entered 

 from one side; or beneath a small bush, next a worm-eaten old 

 log, at the foot of a stump ; or in the cotton rows — anywhere, in 

 fact, where seclusion favors. Some nests have been found with 

 well constructed domes, and the entrance a foot or more from the 

 nest proper. Incredibly large numbers of brilliant white eggs — 

 as many as thirty-two — are reported in a single nest, all skilfully 

 packed in, pointed end downwards to economize space. Does 



262 



