2 
THE BOBWHITE 
States and Florida to Southern Maine, westward to Cen¬ 
tral South Dakota, and south to Eastern Texas, thus in¬ 
cluding almost the entire Eastern and Central United 
States. This bird is pushing its range westward with the 
home-makers, and we could help it much farther north by 
a little attention to winter feeding and protection, particu¬ 
larly during ice and sleet storms. At such times the coveys 
become imprisoned under the crust and starve before they 
can escape. With plenty of weed seed within reach, the 
hardy little fellows would doubtless withstand almost any 
degree of cold. A few piles of weeds, millet, or buckwheat 
disposed about the farm in sheltered, sunny places might 
thus extend the range of the bobwhite far to the north. 
We can supply both food and shelter and also protection 
from enemies by combining brush and weeds in the same 
piles—a device which the writer has used successfully for 
three years past. Cut weeds of any and all kinds, espe¬ 
cially wild millet and pigeon grass, as soon as the seeds 
ripen and before they begin to shell. They ought to be 
cleaned out of the garden, barnyard, and fence corners at 
this time anyway. Selecting a sheltered place on the south 
side of a hill or grove, put down a pile of the weeds, say 
a foot thick; on top of this lay a good foot of stout brush, 
add another layer of weeds and another of brush; cap the 
whole with a thick layer of weeds and put a rock or two- 
on top to keep the wind from blowing it away, or lean a 
few sticks over the pile, and you have the greatest possible 
device for feeding and protecting your winter birds. The 
purpose of the brush, of course, is to make spaces through 
which the sun can shine deep into the pile. If many birds 
are feeding, and there is danger of the seeds running low.. 
