﻿26 
  BOB 
  WHITE 
  AND 
  OTHER 
  QUAILS 
  OF 
  UNITED 
  STATES. 
  

  

  Polygonum 
  are 
  fond 
  of 
  moist 
  land, 
  and 
  furnish 
  palatable 
  seeds 
  for 
  

   the 
  bobwhite; 
  for 
  instance, 
  black 
  bindweed 
  (Polygonum 
  convolvu- 
  

   lus), 
  Pennsylvania 
  persicaria 
  (Persicaria 
  pennsylvanicum) 
  , 
  and 
  

   black 
  heart 
  {Persicaria 
  la 
  path 
  i 
  'folia) 
  . 
  All 
  wild 
  leguminous 
  plants 
  

   should 
  be 
  left 
  undisturbed, 
  for 
  the 
  birds 
  feed 
  on 
  seeds 
  of 
  most 
  of 
  our 
  

   legumes. 
  Small 
  clumps 
  of 
  locusts 
  may 
  well 
  be 
  left 
  in 
  open 
  fields 
  to 
  

   give 
  both 
  food 
  and 
  cover. 
  Tick 
  trefoil, 
  bush 
  clover, 
  Japan 
  clover, 
  

   the 
  milkpea, 
  and 
  the 
  wild 
  bean 
  — 
  all 
  wild 
  plants 
  — 
  are 
  suitable 
  for 
  

   food. 
  Of 
  the 
  summer 
  fruits 
  the 
  dewberry 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  important, 
  and 
  

   m 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  water 
  furnishes 
  a 
  substitute 
  ; 
  therefore 
  these 
  vines, 
  

   nearly 
  everywhere 
  plentiful, 
  should 
  be 
  left 
  in 
  places 
  remote 
  from 
  

   water. 
  A 
  water 
  supply 
  is 
  of 
  course 
  important. 
  Streams 
  with 
  bush- 
  

   grown 
  banks 
  through 
  open 
  fields 
  are 
  most 
  valuable. 
  Beside 
  them 
  

   will 
  be 
  found 
  spreading 
  panicum 
  (Panicum 
  proliferum) 
  , 
  which 
  shells 
  

   out 
  its 
  grain 
  a 
  kernel 
  or 
  two 
  at 
  a 
  time 
  until 
  well 
  into 
  spring. 
  Birds 
  

   find 
  food, 
  shade, 
  water, 
  and 
  shelter 
  in 
  the 
  vegetation 
  along 
  small 
  

   streams. 
  Marshes 
  also 
  afford 
  cover 
  and 
  food. 
  If 
  connected 
  with 
  

   estuaries 
  they 
  often 
  support 
  a 
  rank 
  growth 
  of 
  wild 
  rice, 
  an 
  ideal 
  

   provision 
  for 
  birds. 
  Sufficient 
  shelter 
  to 
  protect 
  the 
  birds 
  from 
  

   hawks 
  is 
  almost 
  indispensable. 
  Oak 
  and 
  beech 
  woods 
  supply 
  mast 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  shelter, 
  but 
  pines 
  afford 
  the 
  best 
  cover, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  them, 
  

   notably 
  the 
  longleaf 
  pine, 
  furnish 
  food. 
  A 
  comfortable 
  retreat 
  for 
  

   the 
  coldest 
  weather 
  is 
  invaluable. 
  In 
  Maryland 
  and 
  Virginia 
  fields 
  

   of 
  heavy 
  broomsedge 
  answer 
  this 
  purpose 
  well, 
  but 
  best 
  of 
  all 
  is 
  a 
  

   steep 
  bank 
  with 
  southern 
  exposure, 
  where 
  the 
  sun 
  quickly 
  melts 
  the 
  

   snow, 
  and 
  gives 
  the 
  birds 
  a 
  chance 
  to 
  forage 
  on 
  bare 
  spots 
  for 
  food 
  

   and 
  gravel. 
  If 
  such 
  a 
  bank 
  is 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  cover, 
  and 
  has 
  a 
  growth 
  

   of 
  briers 
  on 
  it 
  to 
  give 
  the 
  birds 
  a 
  feeling 
  of 
  security, 
  it 
  will 
  become 
  a 
  

   favorite 
  winter 
  haunt 
  and 
  during 
  severe 
  weather 
  is 
  the 
  best 
  place 
  to 
  

   scatter 
  grain. 
  With 
  a 
  little 
  help 
  from 
  man 
  the 
  bobwhite 
  will 
  be 
  

   found 
  to 
  winter 
  well 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  range. 
  

  

  Bobwhite 
  is 
  prolific. 
  A 
  pair 
  of 
  birds 
  under 
  favorable 
  conditions 
  

   will 
  raise 
  a 
  dozen 
  young 
  in 
  a 
  season. 
  Then, 
  too, 
  it 
  is 
  long 
  lived, 
  for 
  

   a 
  bird 
  kept 
  in 
  captivity 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  have 
  reached 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  9 
  years." 
  

   The 
  outlook 
  for 
  the 
  future 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  most 
  satisfactory, 
  pro- 
  

   vided 
  it 
  is 
  given 
  even 
  a 
  small 
  amount 
  of 
  care, 
  with 
  proper 
  legal 
  pro- 
  

   tection. 
  The 
  Audubon 
  societies, 
  with 
  a 
  membership 
  of 
  65,000 
  to 
  

   70,000, 
  which 
  cherish 
  the 
  bobwhite 
  for 
  esthetic 
  and 
  humanitarian 
  rea- 
  

   sons, 
  the 
  sportsman 
  who 
  loves 
  the 
  whirr 
  of 
  its 
  brown 
  wings, 
  and 
  the 
  

   farmer, 
  whose 
  enemies 
  it 
  destroys 
  and 
  whose 
  resources 
  it 
  increases, 
  

   can 
  do 
  much 
  to 
  favor 
  the 
  bird 
  in 
  its 
  natural 
  environment 
  and 
  to 
  pro- 
  

   tect 
  it 
  by 
  adequate 
  and 
  effectively 
  enforced 
  laws. 
  

  

  o 
  Forest 
  and 
  Stream, 
  VII, 
  p. 
  407, 
  1876, 
  

  

  