﻿14 
  BOB 
  WHITE 
  AND 
  OTHER 
  QUAILS 
  OF 
  UNITED 
  STATES. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  the 
  general 
  opinion 
  that 
  with 
  the 
  on-coming 
  of 
  winter 
  the 
  

   bobwhite 
  is 
  found 
  less 
  often 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  fields, 
  where 
  withered 
  herba- 
  

   ceous 
  plants 
  afford 
  but 
  scant 
  protection 
  from 
  enemies, 
  than 
  in 
  dense 
  

   bushy 
  briery 
  coverts 
  and 
  woods. 
  

  

  In 
  Maryland 
  and 
  Virginia 
  the 
  scattered 
  and 
  depleted 
  coveys 
  after 
  

   the 
  shooting 
  season 
  evidently 
  unite 
  into 
  large 
  bevies. 
  Their 
  favorite 
  

   resort 
  in 
  severe 
  weather 
  is 
  a 
  bank 
  with 
  southern 
  exposure 
  and 
  suitable 
  

   food 
  supply. 
  At 
  Marshall 
  Hall 
  during 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  heaviest 
  snowfalls 
  

   of 
  the 
  season, 
  when 
  the 
  Potomac 
  was 
  frozen 
  over 
  and 
  the 
  thermometer 
  

   near 
  zero, 
  a 
  covey 
  was 
  always 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  southeast 
  side 
  of 
  a 
  

   steep 
  bank 
  bordering 
  a 
  large 
  swamp. 
  Here 
  the 
  birds 
  found 
  food 
  

   and 
  warmth, 
  for 
  the 
  rays 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  fell 
  on 
  this 
  slope 
  so 
  directly 
  

   that 
  even 
  when 
  the 
  snow 
  elsewhere 
  lay 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  6 
  inches 
  deep 
  it 
  was 
  

   here 
  melted 
  or 
  remained 
  only 
  in 
  patches. 
  It 
  was 
  noticeable 
  that 
  when 
  

   snow 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  the 
  birds 
  ventured 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  rods 
  from 
  

   cover, 
  a 
  fact 
  that 
  apparently 
  indicated 
  their 
  appreciation 
  of 
  danger 
  

   from 
  the 
  numerous 
  hawks 
  and 
  foxes. 
  At 
  Kinsale, 
  Va., 
  the 
  writer 
  

   found 
  bobwhites 
  crossing 
  open 
  fields 
  when 
  there 
  was 
  an 
  inch 
  or 
  two 
  

   of 
  snow, 
  though 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  they 
  kept 
  close 
  to 
  cover. 
  In 
  April 
  

   and 
  May 
  the 
  birds 
  again 
  venture 
  out 
  into 
  the 
  open, 
  and 
  they 
  breed 
  

   when 
  vegetation 
  is 
  sufficiently 
  grown 
  to 
  conceal 
  the 
  nests. 
  

  

  At 
  Marshall 
  Hall 
  little 
  oval 
  pits 
  in 
  dry 
  soil, 
  in 
  which 
  quail 
  had 
  

   been 
  dusting, 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  various 
  situations, 
  usually 
  under 
  cover 
  

   of 
  weeds 
  and 
  bushes 
  about 
  the 
  fields. 
  Dusting 
  is 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  toilet 
  

   of 
  all 
  gallinaceous 
  and 
  many 
  other 
  birds, 
  and 
  may 
  also 
  be 
  a 
  protec- 
  

   tion 
  against 
  vermin. 
  

  

  BOBWHITE 
  AS 
  AX 
  ALLY 
  OF 
  THE 
  FARMER. 
  

  

  In 
  summing 
  up 
  the 
  relations 
  of 
  the 
  bobwhite 
  to 
  agriculture 
  it 
  will 
  

   be 
  well 
  to 
  emphasize 
  certain 
  facts 
  developed 
  by 
  our 
  investigation 
  of 
  

   its 
  food 
  habits. 
  In 
  the 
  first 
  place, 
  careful 
  observations 
  at 
  Marshall 
  

   Hall, 
  where 
  the 
  acreage 
  under 
  cultivation 
  is 
  large 
  and 
  the 
  bobwhite 
  

   abundant, 
  and 
  less 
  extended 
  investigations 
  elsewhere 
  afford 
  no 
  evi- 
  

   dence 
  that 
  the 
  species 
  does 
  appreciable 
  injury 
  to 
  crops 
  of 
  grain 
  or 
  

   fruit. 
  Further, 
  its 
  habit 
  of 
  destroying 
  weed 
  seeds 
  is 
  of 
  much 
  eco- 
  

   nomic 
  importance. 
  For 
  instance, 
  it 
  is 
  reasonable 
  to 
  assume 
  that 
  in 
  

   the 
  States 
  of 
  Virginia 
  and 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  from 
  September 
  1 
  to 
  

   April 
  30, 
  the 
  season 
  when 
  the 
  largest 
  proportion 
  of 
  weed 
  seed 
  is 
  con- 
  

   sumed 
  by 
  birds, 
  there 
  are 
  four 
  bobwhites 
  to 
  each 
  square 
  mile 
  of 
  land, 
  

   or 
  354,820 
  in 
  the 
  two 
  States. 
  The 
  crop 
  of 
  each 
  bird 
  holds 
  half 
  an 
  

   ounce 
  of 
  seeds 
  and 
  is 
  filled 
  twice 
  a 
  day. 
  Since 
  at 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  

   daily 
  meals 
  weed 
  seeds 
  constitute 
  at 
  least 
  half 
  the 
  contents 
  of 
  the 
  

   crop, 
  or 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  an 
  ounce, 
  a 
  half 
  ounce 
  daily 
  is 
  consumed 
  by 
  

   each 
  bird. 
  On 
  this 
  basis 
  the 
  total 
  consumption 
  of 
  weed 
  seeds 
  by 
  

  

  