﻿FOOD 
  HABITS. 
  29 
  

  

  specimens 
  examined 
  corn 
  amounts 
  to 
  11.96 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  food 
  

   for 
  the 
  .year, 
  while 
  all 
  other 
  kinds 
  of 
  grain 
  collectively 
  amount 
  to 
  

   only 
  5.42 
  per 
  cent. 
  Wheat 
  (4.17 
  per 
  cent) 
  is 
  next 
  to 
  corn 
  in 
  im- 
  

   portance. 
  As 
  experiments 
  with 
  captive 
  birds 
  failed 
  to 
  show 
  marked 
  

   preference 
  for 
  either 
  corn 
  or 
  wheat, 
  the 
  disproportion 
  between 
  the 
  

   two 
  above 
  noted 
  is 
  probably 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  more 
  corn 
  than 
  

   wheat 
  is 
  grown 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  where 
  our 
  birds 
  were 
  obtained. 
  The 
  

   remaining 
  cereal 
  food 
  (1.25 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  total) 
  is 
  miscellaneous 
  

   grain, 
  including 
  Kafir 
  corn, 
  sorghum, 
  millet, 
  buckwheat, 
  barley, 
  oats, 
  

   and 
  rye. 
  

  

  Grain-eating 
  birds 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  do 
  much 
  harm 
  to 
  crops. 
  They 
  may 
  

   pull 
  up 
  sprouting 
  grain, 
  plunder 
  the 
  standing 
  crop 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  

   milk, 
  or 
  forage 
  among 
  the 
  sheaves 
  at 
  harvest 
  time. 
  The 
  bobwhite, 
  

   however, 
  is 
  a 
  notable 
  exception. 
  The 
  period 
  of 
  germination 
  is 
  the 
  

   time 
  when 
  grain 
  is 
  liable 
  to 
  serious 
  injury 
  by 
  birds. 
  But 
  not 
  a 
  sin- 
  

   gle 
  sprouting 
  kernel 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  crops 
  and 
  stomachs 
  of 
  quails 
  

   examined. 
  Field 
  observations, 
  during 
  the 
  years 
  1899 
  and 
  1900, 
  at 
  

   Marshall 
  Hall 
  gave 
  similar 
  evidence. 
  While 
  crows 
  injured 
  sprout- 
  

   ing 
  corn 
  so 
  seriously 
  during 
  May 
  that 
  several 
  extensive 
  replantings 
  

   were 
  necessary, 
  bobwhites, 
  unusually 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  at 
  the 
  

   same 
  time, 
  were 
  never 
  seen 
  to 
  disturb 
  the 
  germinating 
  grain. 
  During 
  

   November, 
  1899, 
  sprouting 
  wheat 
  Avas 
  saved 
  from 
  crow 
  blackbirds 
  

   only 
  by 
  diligent 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  shotgun 
  ; 
  but 
  both 
  then 
  and 
  in 
  other 
  sea- 
  

   sons 
  the 
  bobwhite 
  was 
  rarely 
  observed 
  in 
  winter-wheat 
  fields 
  and 
  

   never 
  was 
  seen 
  to 
  molest 
  the 
  crop. 
  Sprouting 
  oats 
  apparently 
  were 
  

   not 
  molested, 
  though 
  extended 
  observations 
  were 
  not 
  made. 
  Xo 
  data 
  

   are 
  available 
  for 
  rye 
  and 
  millet, 
  but 
  in 
  newly 
  sown 
  buckwheat 
  fields 
  

   in 
  Essex 
  County, 
  X. 
  J., 
  which 
  the 
  writer 
  saw 
  ravaged 
  by 
  doves, 
  there 
  

   was 
  no 
  sign 
  of 
  injury 
  by 
  the 
  bobwhites. 
  Publications 
  on 
  economic 
  

   ornithology 
  and 
  reports 
  received 
  by 
  the 
  Biological 
  Survey 
  add 
  tes- 
  

   timony 
  of 
  like 
  character. 
  It 
  may 
  safely 
  be 
  stated, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  so 
  

   far 
  as 
  at 
  present 
  known 
  the 
  bobwhite 
  does 
  no 
  appreciable 
  harm 
  to 
  

   sprouting 
  grain. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  learn 
  to 
  what 
  extent 
  the 
  species 
  injures 
  ripening 
  grain, 
  

   observations 
  were 
  made 
  for 
  several 
  years 
  at 
  Marshall 
  Hall. 
  Unlike 
  

   the 
  crow 
  and 
  several 
  kinds 
  of 
  blackbirds, 
  the 
  bobwhite 
  did 
  no 
  damage 
  

   there 
  to 
  corn 
  in 
  the 
  milk, 
  nor 
  did 
  it 
  injure 
  ripening 
  wheat 
  and 
  oats. 
  

   Flocks 
  of 
  English 
  sparrows, 
  however, 
  might 
  be 
  seen 
  feeding 
  on 
  

   wheat 
  in 
  the 
  milk, 
  and 
  not 
  uncommonly 
  a 
  score 
  of 
  goldfinches 
  swayed 
  

   on 
  the 
  panicles 
  of 
  ripening 
  oats. 
  A 
  hen 
  bobwhite 
  shot 
  in 
  a 
  field 
  of 
  

   ripe 
  wheat, 
  June 
  18, 
  1903, 
  had 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  grain 
  in 
  its 
  crop, 
  though 
  

   whether 
  obtained 
  from 
  standing 
  heads 
  or 
  from 
  fallen 
  kernels 
  did 
  not 
  

   appear. 
  As 
  the 
  bobwhite 
  usually 
  feeds 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  

   never 
  seen 
  feeding 
  from 
  the 
  stalk 
  at 
  Marshall 
  Hall, 
  it 
  appears 
  prob- 
  

   able 
  that 
  it 
  seeks 
  only 
  the 
  fallen 
  grain. 
  At 
  wheat 
  harvest 
  it 
  follows 
  

  

  