﻿24 
  BOB 
  WHITE 
  AND 
  OTHEB 
  QUAILS 
  OF 
  UNITED 
  STATES. 
  

  

  one-tenth 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  had 
  been 
  animal 
  matter, 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  which 
  

   consisted 
  of 
  ants, 
  the 
  tibia? 
  of 
  grasshoppers, 
  the 
  spotted 
  cuticle 
  of 
  sol- 
  

   dier 
  bugs, 
  and 
  the 
  cow-horn-like 
  mandibles 
  of 
  spiders. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  

   could 
  be 
  made 
  out, 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  vegetable 
  food 
  consisted 
  of 
  the 
  skin 
  

   of 
  kernels 
  of 
  corn, 
  fragments 
  of 
  the 
  akenes 
  of 
  ragweed, 
  and 
  pulverized 
  

   bits 
  of 
  sumac 
  seeds 
  (Rhus 
  copallina), 
  partridge 
  pea 
  (C 
  hamcechrista 
  

   fascicularis) 
  , 
  milk 
  pea 
  (Galactia 
  volubilis), 
  and 
  crownbeard 
  (Ver- 
  

   hesina), 
  besides 
  unidentified 
  leaf 
  material. 
  The 
  weather 
  had 
  been 
  

   severe 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  week, 
  but 
  the 
  birds 
  were 
  in 
  good 
  condition. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  Marshall 
  Hall 
  farm, 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  back 
  from 
  the 
  banks 
  

   of 
  the 
  Potomac, 
  is 
  a 
  swamp 
  that 
  has 
  a 
  steep 
  bank 
  with 
  a 
  southern 
  

   exposure 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  usually 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  bare 
  ground 
  in 
  patches. 
  

   For 
  several 
  years 
  bobwhites 
  have 
  made 
  a 
  winter 
  haunt 
  of 
  this 
  warm, 
  

   sunny 
  bank, 
  and 
  here 
  some 
  interesting 
  observations 
  were 
  made 
  Feb- 
  

   ruary 
  18 
  and 
  19, 
  1902, 
  when 
  the 
  snow 
  was 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  4 
  inches 
  deep 
  

   and 
  the 
  minimum 
  temperature 
  was 
  4° 
  F. 
  above 
  zero. 
  A 
  covey 
  had 
  

   spent 
  the 
  night 
  of 
  February 
  IT 
  not 
  on 
  the 
  warm 
  bank, 
  comparatively 
  

   bare 
  of 
  snow, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  level 
  above 
  the 
  bank, 
  where 
  they 
  had 
  squatted 
  

   on 
  the 
  snow 
  under 
  a 
  dewberry 
  bush 
  amdhg 
  broomsedge. 
  Their 
  feet 
  

   and 
  droppings 
  had 
  melted 
  the 
  snow, 
  and 
  subsequent 
  freezing 
  had 
  

   formed 
  an 
  icy 
  ring. 
  The 
  birds 
  had 
  not 
  flown 
  thither, 
  but 
  had 
  walked 
  

   from 
  the 
  swamp 
  up 
  the 
  steep 
  bank 
  and 
  through 
  the 
  broomsedge 
  

   level. 
  The 
  next 
  morning 
  they 
  had 
  flown 
  from 
  the 
  roost 
  to 
  the 
  steep 
  

   slope, 
  had 
  run 
  along 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  swamp 
  to 
  a 
  bushy, 
  tree-bordered 
  

   stream, 
  then 
  up 
  its 
  north 
  bank 
  for 
  300 
  yards 
  and 
  back 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  

   bank, 
  and 
  thence 
  to 
  the 
  steep, 
  sunny 
  slope 
  again. 
  On 
  their 
  journey 
  

   they 
  had 
  gone 
  under 
  every 
  matted 
  tangle 
  of 
  cat-brier 
  vines 
  — 
  possibly 
  

   for 
  berries, 
  but 
  more 
  probably 
  for 
  protection. 
  At 
  one 
  point 
  they 
  

   had 
  fed 
  freely 
  on 
  sumac 
  berries. 
  The 
  tracks 
  of 
  a 
  fox 
  were 
  found 
  

   Avith 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  for 
  about 
  100 
  yards. 
  On 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  

   the 
  19th 
  they 
  traveled 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  200 
  yards, 
  this 
  chiefly 
  among 
  

   outstanding 
  willows 
  and 
  alders 
  of 
  the 
  swamp 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  belt 
  of 
  

   land 
  5 
  to 
  20 
  yards 
  wide 
  between 
  the 
  boundary 
  fence 
  and 
  the 
  reeds 
  

   of 
  the 
  SAvamp. 
  In 
  one 
  place 
  tAA 
  T 
  o 
  pairs 
  of 
  birds 
  had 
  Avalked 
  so 
  near 
  

   together 
  as 
  to 
  cross 
  one 
  another's 
  tracks; 
  two 
  single 
  birds 
  had 
  

   made 
  clear 
  lines 
  of 
  tracks 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  them, 
  and 
  a 
  single 
  bird 
  had 
  

   walked 
  alone 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  side 
  from 
  1 
  to 
  4 
  feet 
  from 
  his 
  nearest 
  

   companion. 
  All 
  had 
  evidently 
  eaten 
  rose 
  hips, 
  mutilated 
  remains 
  

   of 
  Avhich 
  still 
  clung 
  to 
  the 
  bushes. 
  The 
  covey 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  

   expected 
  to 
  range 
  far 
  and 
  wide 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  fields 
  for 
  seeds 
  and 
  eA^en 
  

   to 
  straw 
  ricks 
  for 
  grain, 
  but 
  except 
  Avhen 
  traveling 
  to 
  their 
  roost 
  

   they 
  had 
  never 
  gone 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  rod 
  from 
  cover. 
  Apparently 
  fear 
  

   of 
  enemies 
  restrained 
  them. 
  

  

  An 
  article 
  in 
  the 
  American 
  Field, 
  February 
  25, 
  1899, 
  by 
  the 
  well- 
  

   known 
  sportsman 
  John 
  Bolus, 
  of 
  Wooster, 
  Ohio, 
  illustrates 
  the 
  hardi- 
  

  

  