Late Nesting of the Bob-white. 
August Eggs. — Two sets of Q,uailg ,| 
'W.j ^iryiy>^- 
O.&O. Vll. Oct. 1882. p,/6^ 
Late Nesting of the Bob White. 
During the full and winter of 1891-1892 
the Ornitiioi.ogist and Oologist con- 
tained several records of late nesting of 
the Bob White. 
I agree with Mr. P. B. Peabody, in re- 
gard to his statement, “Nobody has 
touched, as yet, the bottom mark as to 
latest normal nesting date of the Bob 
White.” In fact, I said the same in sub- 
stance in my article in the January, 1892, 
Ornithologist and Oologist. 
My cousin W. F. Hoag, of Blue Rapids, 
Marshall County, Kansas, again sends me 
eggs, with data of two instances of late 
nesting of the Qiiail. One of them beats 
his 18S9 nest, recorded by me in the Jan- 
uary Ornithologist and Oologist, by 
several days. 
Nest No. I. Found September 22, 
built in a corn-field, at the foot of a hill of 
corn, contained ten eggs of the Bob White 
and one of the domestic hen, incubation 
about two thirds advanced. The nest was 
about ten rods from a farm house, which 
explains the presence of the hen’s egg. 
Nest No. 2 was found September 23, 
built in the prairie grass, and run over by 
the mower before discovered, which 
crushed all the eggs excepting four. As 
near as could be ascertained, the set con- 
sisted of fifteen eggs. Incubation postive- 
ly not over one third advanced. Allow- 
ing twenty days to be the period of incu- 
jbation, the chicks would not have left the 
' shells before October 6 at least. 
Benjamin Hoag. 
Stephentown, New York. 
Y. Jwi. 0.& O.Vol.17,1899 p. 8 
How Many Eggs can a Bob-white 
Cover? 
The above query occurred to me lately when 
I received a set of twenty-eight eggs of the 
Bob-white (Orlyx virginiana). They were all 
found in one nest, though whether they were 
all laid by one bird is a question that cannot 
be answered. Certain it is that the Bob-white 
lays a very large clutch, but whether one hen 
could lay twenty-eight eggs is very doubtful. 
The eggs of this species are very small in 
proportion to the size of the bird, and their 
shape enables them to be closely placed to- 
gether in the nest, but twenty-eight of their 
eggs cover a circle of at least six and a half 
inches diameter, and it is extremely doubtful 
whether the bird could cover them all when 
sitting & O. XIV. Ap r. 1889 i 
A Large Set of Eggs of the Bob 
White. 
In the October O. & O. Mr. James B. Purdy 
of Plymouth, Mich., records a nest of the 
Bob-white found at that place on August .SO, 
1891. The nest contained thirteen eggs and 
the next day, August -Slst, they were about 
half liatched. 
Mr. Purdy wislies to know who can beat it 
for a late Quail’s nest. I have an egg of the 
Bob-white in my cabinet which was collected 
on September 12, 1889, at Blue Rapids, 
Kansas, by my cousin, W. F. IJoag. Tbe nest 
contained ten eggs perfectly fresh, but he 
drove over the nest before it was discovered 
and broke them all but one, wliicb he kindly 
sent to me. I presume there are many who 
have later records of this bird breeding than 
either Mr. Purdy’s or the one mentioned 
above. Let me hear from those who live 
where the Bob-white is an abundant breeder. 
Benjamin Hoag. 
Stephentown, N. 
O.&O.V 0 I.I 7 , Deo. 1892 p.184-186 
Large Sets or Eggs. W. D. Hills, Odin, 
111., writes that he found a Quail’s nest 
with thirty eggs and one with twenty-eight. 
O.&O. lX.Jan.l884.p.;^t i" 
What do you think of a set of Qjiails’ 
eggs (Bob White) 38 in number? The 
nest was found by my young friend, 
Amon Shearer, Gilbert, Iowa. When 
found it contained 27 eggs. He took out 
part of them, and last Sunday, June 5, 
when I was at his home, the nest con- 
tained eggs to make 38 in all. They 
were laid by one bird. They are beauties. 
Twenty-seven is a large set, but 38 beats 
the record. Carl Fritz- Henning. 
Boone, Iowa. 
O.&OV 0 I. 17 , Aug, 1892 P.122 
[If some of the eggs were removed, and 
the bird went on laying, they cannot strictly 
be called a “set.” — J. P. N.J 
