662 
A YEAR WITH THE BIRDS 
BOB WHITE 
“ I own the country hereabout,” says Bob White ; 
“ At early morn I gayly shout, I’m Bob White ! 
From stubble field and stake-rail fence 
You hear me call without offense, 
I’m Bob White! Bob White! 
Sometimes I think I’ll ne’er more say Bob White; 
It often gives me quite away, does Bob White; 
And mate and I and our young brood, 
When separate, wandering through the wood, 
Are killed by sportsmen I invite 
By my clear voice — Bob White ! Bob White ! 
Still, don’t you find I am out of sight 
While I am saying Bob White, Bob White ? ” 
— Charles C. Marble 
ORDER GALLINtE: GALLINACEOUS BIRDS 
Family Tetraonidae: Grouse, Partridges, Etc. 
Bob White; Quail: Colinus virginianus. R. 
Plate XIII 
Length: 10.50 inches. 
Male and Female: Crown feathers slightly crested. White forehead; 
eye line and throat patch edged with dark. Above variegated 
reddish brown flecked with black, white, and tawny. Below 
whitish, warming on the sides to reddish, with dark streaks. 
In female the forehead, throat, and eye stripes are buffy. Bill 
rusty black. 
Note: “Bob-white! Bob -ivhitc!” Sometimes also “ Poor-Bob-white.” 
Season: Resident. 
Breeds: Throughout range; pairs here in April. 
Nest: Small twigs and grass in a ground hollow. 
Eggs: 10-15, white and blunt. 
THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF THE BOB WHITE 
No birds have so firm a hold on public interest as the game 
birds. The laws enacted on their behalf exceed in number a 
hundred fold those relating to other kinds of birds. Among 
game birds the Bob White is held by many to be pre-eminent. 
Easily accessible over a wide area of the country, small enough 
of size and swift enough of wing to test the sportsman’s skill, 
delicious enough to please the epicure, to most sportsmen it is 
without a peer, the king of our feathered game. 
The name “ Bob White ” is derived from a fancied re- 
semblance to this word in the familiar utterance of the bird. 
