﻿BOBWHITE. 
  9 
  

  

  cases 
  appreciable, 
  are 
  far 
  less 
  valuable 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  bobwhite, 
  mainly 
  

   because, 
  the 
  birds 
  are 
  much 
  less 
  insectivorous. 
  Moreover, 
  the 
  Cali- 
  

   fornia 
  valley 
  quail 
  sometimes 
  damages 
  the 
  grape 
  crop. 
  

  

  The 
  value 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  game 
  bird 
  is 
  of 
  course 
  small, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  from 
  

   this 
  narrow 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  that 
  its 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  community 
  is 
  

   usually 
  considered. 
  When, 
  however, 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  any 
  important 
  

   species 
  is 
  worked 
  out 
  the 
  result 
  is 
  surprising. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  conclu- 
  

   sively 
  demonstrated 
  that 
  in 
  Virginia 
  and 
  North 
  Carolina 
  alone 
  the 
  

   common 
  quail 
  annualty 
  destroys 
  many 
  tons 
  of 
  noxious 
  insects 
  and 
  

   weed 
  seeds. 
  The 
  great 
  value 
  of 
  this 
  service 
  must 
  be 
  apparent 
  to 
  all 
  

   who 
  appreciate 
  the 
  never-ending 
  warfare 
  between 
  the 
  farmer 
  and 
  his 
  

   hydra-headed 
  enemies, 
  the 
  insects 
  and 
  weeds. 
  The 
  food 
  value 
  also 
  

   of 
  the 
  quail 
  is 
  great, 
  and 
  the 
  health 
  and 
  pleasure 
  derived 
  from 
  their 
  

   pursuit 
  has 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  investment 
  of 
  millions 
  of 
  dollars. 
  When 
  

   it 
  is 
  generally 
  understood 
  that 
  by 
  judicious 
  effort 
  the 
  numbers 
  of 
  

   these 
  useful 
  birds 
  may 
  be 
  greatly 
  increased, 
  with 
  a 
  proportionate 
  

   benefit 
  to 
  all 
  concerned, 
  it 
  is 
  hoped 
  that 
  efforts 
  to 
  this 
  end 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  

   long 
  delayed. 
  

  

  THE 
  BOBWHITE. 
  

  

  (Colinus 
  virginianus.) 
  a 
  

  

  The 
  bobwhite 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  widely 
  distributed 
  and 
  popular 
  

   game 
  birds 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  but 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  it 
  is 
  suffering 
  

   ruthless 
  extermination. 
  Sportsmen, 
  farmers, 
  legislators, 
  and 
  orni- 
  

   thologists, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  friends 
  of 
  birds 
  in 
  general, 
  should 
  interest 
  

   themselves 
  in 
  the 
  problem 
  of 
  its 
  preservation. 
  In 
  the 
  Northern, 
  

   Western, 
  and 
  Middle 
  States 
  it 
  is 
  commonly 
  known 
  as 
  ' 
  quail,' 
  in 
  

   the 
  Southern 
  States 
  as 
  ' 
  partridge.' 
  This 
  tends 
  to 
  confusion, 
  since 
  in 
  

   New 
  England 
  and 
  northern 
  New 
  York 
  the 
  name 
  ' 
  partridge 
  ' 
  is 
  

   commonly 
  applied 
  to 
  the 
  ruffed 
  grouse. 
  Both 
  names 
  were 
  brought 
  to 
  

   America 
  by 
  English 
  colonists 
  from 
  their 
  Old 
  World 
  homes, 
  where 
  

   they 
  are 
  applied 
  to 
  species 
  not 
  originally 
  inhabiting 
  this 
  continent. 
  

   The 
  name 
  c 
  bobwhite 
  ' 
  is 
  from 
  the 
  familiar 
  call 
  note 
  of 
  the 
  bird. 
  

  

  In 
  some 
  of 
  its 
  characteristics 
  bobwhite 
  differs 
  strikingly 
  from 
  other 
  

   members 
  of 
  the 
  family. 
  For 
  example, 
  the 
  crest 
  — 
  a 
  well-developed 
  

   adornment 
  of 
  several 
  closely 
  related 
  American 
  quails 
  — 
  in 
  bobwhite 
  

   is 
  invisible 
  except 
  when 
  the 
  bird 
  is 
  excited. 
  

  

  The 
  common 
  bobwhite 
  ranges 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  generally 
  over 
  the 
  east- 
  

   ern 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  and 
  southern 
  Ontario, 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  

   colder, 
  mountainous 
  parts, 
  from 
  southern 
  Maine 
  to 
  northern 
  Florida, 
  

   and 
  west 
  to 
  South 
  Dakota, 
  Nebraska, 
  Kansas, 
  and 
  Texas. 
  In 
  addi- 
  

  

  a 
  The 
  name 
  is 
  used 
  here 
  in 
  its 
  broad 
  sense 
  to 
  cover 
  the 
  typical 
  bird 
  of 
  the 
  

   Eastern 
  States, 
  Colinus 
  virginianus, 
  and 
  the 
  two 
  subspecies, 
  the 
  Florida 
  bob- 
  

   white 
  (C. 
  v. 
  floridanus) 
  and 
  the 
  Texas 
  bobwhite 
  (0. 
  v. 
  texanus). 
  

  

  