﻿GENERAL 
  HABITS. 
  13 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  HABITS 
  OF 
  THE 
  BOBWHITE. 
  

  

  The 
  habits 
  of 
  bobwhite, 
  like 
  those 
  of 
  many 
  other 
  birds, 
  vary 
  con- 
  

   siderably, 
  and 
  the 
  following, 
  observed 
  by 
  E. 
  W. 
  Nelson, 
  is 
  a 
  case 
  in 
  

   point. 
  In 
  1875 
  the 
  Wabash 
  bottoms 
  near 
  Mount 
  Carmel, 
  111., 
  were 
  

   covered 
  with 
  a 
  magnificent 
  forest, 
  quite 
  tropical 
  in 
  the 
  size 
  and 
  luxu- 
  

   riant 
  growth 
  of 
  trees 
  and 
  other 
  vegetation. 
  Scattered 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  

   through 
  the 
  forest 
  were 
  small 
  clearings 
  planted 
  to 
  corn. 
  Bobwhites 
  

   were 
  found 
  about 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  clearings, 
  and 
  the 
  males 
  were 
  commonly 
  

   heard 
  calling 
  from 
  the 
  tops 
  of 
  tall 
  trees 
  in 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  bordering 
  

   forest, 
  and 
  on 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  occasion 
  were 
  stalked 
  and 
  shot 
  in 
  the 
  

   midst 
  of 
  the 
  woods 
  from 
  tree 
  tops 
  more 
  than 
  100 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  ground. 
  

   When 
  flushed 
  in 
  the 
  cornfields 
  the 
  coveys 
  dashed 
  away 
  into 
  the 
  forest, 
  

   where 
  they 
  took 
  refuge 
  in 
  the 
  tree 
  tops, 
  thence 
  sending 
  forth 
  their 
  

   rallying 
  call 
  notes. 
  

  

  There 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  tendency 
  among 
  bobwhites, 
  at 
  least 
  in 
  some 
  

   regions, 
  to 
  a 
  local 
  migration. 
  In 
  certain 
  sections, 
  as 
  in 
  Virginia 
  and 
  

   Maryland, 
  they 
  commonly 
  leave 
  their 
  summer 
  homes 
  on 
  the 
  approach 
  

   of 
  winter 
  and 
  congregate 
  near 
  the 
  larger 
  watercourses. 
  In 
  an. 
  old 
  

   number 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  Sportsman 
  Lewis 
  refers 
  to 
  this 
  fall 
  move- 
  

   ment, 
  and 
  says: 
  "At 
  this 
  period 
  the 
  birds 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  running 
  or 
  

   traveling, 
  and 
  will 
  not 
  lie 
  to 
  a 
  dog; 
  and 
  to 
  pursue 
  is 
  lost 
  time, 
  as 
  it 
  

   will 
  be 
  found 
  utterly 
  impossible 
  to 
  keep 
  up 
  with 
  them, 
  no 
  matter 
  with 
  

   what 
  speed 
  you 
  attempt 
  it." 
  

  

  The 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  bobwhite 
  during 
  the 
  hunting 
  season 
  are 
  well 
  

   known. 
  The 
  birds 
  move 
  about 
  most 
  actively 
  and 
  feed 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  

   morning 
  and 
  late 
  afternoon. 
  The 
  best 
  shooting 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  had 
  the 
  hour 
  

   before 
  sunset, 
  in 
  the 
  places 
  where 
  the 
  birds 
  have 
  decided 
  to 
  spend 
  the 
  

   night. 
  They 
  roost 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  forming 
  a 
  solid 
  ring 
  with 
  tails 
  in 
  

   and 
  heads 
  out. 
  In 
  Virginia 
  and 
  Maryland 
  the 
  roosting 
  places 
  are 
  

   almost 
  never 
  in 
  the 
  woods, 
  though 
  in 
  Mecklenburg 
  County, 
  Va., 
  the 
  

   writer 
  has 
  found 
  them 
  in 
  grassy, 
  briery 
  little 
  clearings 
  among 
  pine 
  

   woods. 
  At 
  Marshall 
  Hall 
  the 
  birds 
  were 
  found 
  roosting 
  in 
  the 
  edges 
  

   of 
  woodland, 
  orchards, 
  patches 
  of 
  ragweed 
  in 
  wheat 
  stubble, 
  cornfields, 
  

   truck 
  plats, 
  broomsedge, 
  dewberry 
  and 
  blackberry 
  tangles, 
  pastures, 
  

   and 
  fence 
  corners. 
  In 
  Massachusetts 
  Edward 
  A. 
  Preble 
  found 
  no 
  

   roosts 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  fields, 
  but 
  found 
  them 
  among 
  scrub 
  oaks 
  and 
  in 
  tall 
  

   pine 
  forests. 
  Bobwhites 
  habitually 
  use 
  a 
  roosting 
  ground 
  again 
  and 
  

   again. 
  A 
  covey 
  of 
  a 
  dozen, 
  found 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  November, 
  1899, 
  at 
  

   Marshall 
  Hall, 
  resorted 
  to 
  a 
  corner 
  of 
  a 
  peach 
  orchard 
  for 
  eight 
  con- 
  

   secutive 
  nights, 
  and 
  during 
  December, 
  1902, 
  a 
  covey 
  of 
  fifteen 
  on 
  the 
  

   Roanoke 
  River 
  bottom 
  used 
  a 
  narrow 
  strip 
  of 
  cockleburr, 
  ragweed, 
  

   and 
  smartweed 
  for 
  ten 
  consecutive 
  nights. 
  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  note 
  

   that, 
  although 
  quail 
  seek 
  the 
  woods 
  for 
  shelter 
  from 
  enemies 
  during 
  

   the 
  day, 
  they 
  generally 
  regard 
  the 
  open 
  as 
  safer 
  at 
  night. 
  

  

  