A YEAR WITH THE BIRDS 
663 
It has been adopted by several writers because of the inac- 
curacy of the two names by which the species is usually known 
— Quail in the north and west and Partridge in the south. 
The name “ Quail ” properly belongs to a smaller migratory 
bird of a different genus, found in the Old World, the Quail of 
the Bible story; while “Partridge” in New England, uni- 
versally applied to the Ruffed Grouse, is strictly the name of 
another Old World genus, though also used to designate the 
group to which Bob Whites, Quail, Partridges, and other 
closely related birds belong. 
The aesthetic pleasure derived from the presence of the Bob 
White has a certain definite value. Much money has been spent 
for merely the enjoyment of the beauty and companionship of 
birds. For the protection of Gulls and Terns along the At- 
lantic coast thousands of dollars have been appropriated at 
the instance of bird lovers, in whose eyes these delicate creat- 
ures are the crowning grace of a marine landscape. To pas- 
toral inland scenes — wood lots in a green mist of young 
leaves, summer grass fields and bushy pastures, brown stubble 
and skeleton cornfields — the Bob White adds a charm, homely 
but no less enjoyable. As it calls in summer from the fence 
post or runs fearlessly across the road, the stroller can see it 
closely enough to admire its trim, alert figure, and its tasteful 
color pattern of black, white, and brown, set off by delicate 
tintings of blue. Its mellow whistle seems a proffer of good- 
fellowship, investing even a solitude with cheerful friendliness, 
while the plaintive covey call, heard in the growing darkness 
as it summons a scattered flock to its nightly resting place, is 
one of the tenderest of evening sounds. Many people, appre- 
ciating these features of its presence, welcome the bird for the 
pleasure of its company, and are ready to spend time and money 
to keep it undisturbed in their neighborhood. The writer has 
known several men who, for this purpose, incurred considerable 
expense in posting land and hiring keepers to prevent poaching. 
There are no doubt many who, in similar ways but with 
smaller outlay, set up some measure in money for the jesthetic 
value of the Bob White. 
In three ways the Bob White is of strictly economic import- 
ance — as a destroyer of noxious seeds and insects ; as a deli- 
cate and nourishing food ; and as an object of sport. 
