THE GAME BREEDER 139 



general habits of the birds, Dr. Judd which constitute 46.61 per cent of the 

 says, may be assumed safely to be sim- food; fruit, grain, flowers and leaves, 

 ilar to those of its relative bob-white. This bird is said to be especially fond 

 The birds still occur in Mexico and they of the leaves of clover and other legu- 

 should be imported on the most liberal minous plants. Since the bird is evi- 

 terms and made plentiful in many places dently fond of grain and alfalfa it should 

 in the United States. It is a great pity be an easy matter to plant some clear- 

 that "restrictions" have made it almost ings in its woodland haunts which would 

 impossible to re-introduce this interest- soon make the birds plentiful, provided 

 ing game bird. their natural enemies be persistently 



The California quail eats much wheat destroyed, 

 and barley and W. T. Craig reported to The scaled quail lives for the most part 

 the United States Department of Agri- in comparatively desert regions in the 

 culture that he had observed the quail Southwest, the valley of the Rio Grande 

 "enter a field of wheat to the number of representing its center of abundance. It 

 thousands, and had they not been driven finds an abundance of food and the many 

 away they would have destroyed the thorns, including cactus, afford much 

 whole crop." This suggests that scare protection from its enemies. Easily this 

 boys easily can be employed to keep the bird can be kept plentiful and profitable 

 game out of the fields, as boys are em- simply by destroying the snakes, hawks, 

 ployed in England to keep pheasants and crows and other ground and winged 

 other birds from doing any damage. We enemies which prey upon it. 

 should remember that at present the The Gambel's quail, like the other 

 quail are worth more than the wheat quails, thrives on insects, seeds, grains 

 and that by proper management the land and berries. It has been reported de- 

 owner, and shooting tenant may have structive to beans and since beans are 

 both. ^ easily planted and grown the game pre- 



The food habits of the mountain quail server may find here a useful hint for 



do not differ as much as we might ex- holding a lot of birds on a selected area, 



pect from the other species. They eat The quail crop can be made far more 



grasshoppers and insects; weed seeds, valuable than beans. 



BREEDING AMHERSTS, GOLDEN AND RINGNECKS. 



William Snyder. 



I am giving you my experience in I feed Spratt's pheasant meal and 



pheasant breeding. I admire those beau- Crissel in the morning, greens at noon, 



tiful birds very much, but have not the and wheat, barley, buckwheat, oats and 



time nor space to breed to any extent, a little cracked corn at night. My Ring- 



I am only a back-lotter, so keep them necks laid an average of 50 eggs this 



only for pleasure. year ; they averaged about 90 per cent. 



I have worked out a system of man- fertile. For hatching I use common 



agement that gives me a small profit be- hens, free from lice, of quiet disposition, 



sides. I am breeding Amherst, Golden and give 18 eggs to each hen. My 



and Ringnecks. My breeding pens are brooding coops are 2 feet square for the 



5 by 18 feet, including a shed for shelter hen, with a run attached 2x4 feet for 



and dusting. The pens are stationary the chicks, enclosed with i/2-inch mesh 



but kept very clean ; fresh sand and fine wire netting, both coop and run have 



coal ashes are put in every year. a board bottom, as I believe this pre- 



