Bob-white 
239 
nest which the outraged owners would at once 
desert? 
Just as baby chickens follow the mother 
about, so downy bob-whites run after both 
their parents and learn which seeds, grain, in- 
sects and berries they may safely eat. Man, 
with his gun and dog and mowing machines, is 
their worst enemy, of course; then comes the 
sly fox and sneaking weasel that spring upon 
them from ambush, and the hawk that drops 
upon them like a thunderbolt. Birds have 
enemies above, below, and on every side. Is 
it any wonder that they are timid and shy? A 
note of alarm from Mamma White summons the 
chicks, half-running, half-flying, to huddle 
close to her or to take shelter beneath her short 
wings. Their little grouse cousins find pro- 
tection in a more original way. 'When the 
mother is busy sitting on a second or third 
clutch of eggs, it is Bob himself, a pattern of 
all the domestic virtues, who takes full charge 
of the family. When the last chicks are ready 
to join their older brothers and sisters, the bevy 
may contain three or four dozen birds, all de- 
votedly attached to one another. At bed time 
they squat in a circle on the ground, tails toward 
the centre of the ring, heads pointing outward 
to detect an enemy coming from any direction. 
As if their vigilance were not enough, Bob 
usually remains outside the ring to act as 
