THE BOBWHITE 
'^HE Bobwhite is the most valuable and important wild 
existence for the American home, garden and 
farm. It does practically no harm what- 
ever and seems to specialize on the most 
pestiferous insects and weed seeds; and 
its large size compared with other 
insectivorous birds, renders it capa- 
ble of doing an amount of good 
service which few people realize. 
From different crops repre- 
senting a single meal (and the 
bird probably fills its crop from 
six to ten times a day) have been taken 300 
seeds of smart-weed, 500 sheep sorrell, 1000 of 
ragweed, 5000 of pigeon grass, 10,000 of pigweed, 
a tablespoonful of chinch bugs, and over 100 potato 
beetles. Feeding tests with a pet bobwhite hen 
reveal the possibilities of the bird’s work in a garden 
or field; one day, 59 adult potato beetles, another, 
1286 rose slugs, another, 5000 plant lice and 568 mos- 
quitoes in two hours. In addition to the above the bird 
'« known to feed upon the cotton worm, the boll worm, 
the Mexican cotton boll-weevil, 
cut-worms, cabbage worms, 
cucumber beetles, squash 
bugs, grasshoppers and 
crickets, army worms, 
and the Hessian fly. 
If the estimate, $795,- 
100,000, annual damage to farm crops in the United States from insect ravages is 
correct, and it is much too low if anything, the bobwhites alone might save us 
over half this amount, if the people would give it a chance. Other tens of mil- 
lions would be saved in weed seed destruction. 
The bobwhite is naturally a sociable bird and this character makes it a most 
companionable and charming household pet. They “home” about the house and 
garden, if protected; and, if petted a little, become much tamer and more respon- 
Mazie Hodge and her pet bobwhite— C. F. Hodge 
sive than domestic fowls. The first pair of these pets which the writer had, pro- 
duced 20 eggs, laid in a cage in the dining-room window. The past season his 
hens averaged 58 eggs apiece, and at the Massachusetts State Fish Hatchery one 
bobwhite hen laid 100 eggs, practi- 
cally all hatchable. As many 
as 42 eggs have been 
found in a single nest 
in the wild. This gives 
some hint of how 
soon we could 
have these cheer- 
birds common 
in every garden in 
land if we could 
work together, 
greatest obstacle to 
bird protection is the uncon- 
trolled cat. The writer has had 
Bobwhiie chick three weeks old— usual occupation. eleven bobwhites killed by one 
C. F. Hodge cat in a night. Another point to 
guard against is disease. The 
common fowl carries an internal parasite, which may not cause much injury to 
the fowl, but is fatal to the turkey and the bobwhite. This is probably the 
reason why the native American grouse have not been domesticated. We should 
be careful to keep our bobwhites on ground that is uncon- 
taminated by common fowls. 
of tame bobwhites, as they live about the house. Reared by C. F. 
1908. This flock of 44 would feed about the garden and orchard and 
fly home to whistle. 
