The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-06-08
ADVICE FOR BOB WHITE
VALUE OF THE QUAIL.

If the advice of the late Sylvester
followed, the "bob-white" will prob
ably continue to whistle from the
fences edging the corn-fields of New
York State for years to come, writes
the Washington correspondent of the
New York Post If Mr.. Judd's advice
be ignored, the chances are that Bob's
call will soon be hushed, and that the
farmer will lose one of his most help
full allies in the saving of his crops.
The pathological expert sings the
praise of the quail as the eater OF
injurious insects, as the destroyer OF
noxious weed seeds, and as the sweet
singer of the springtime. The quail,
in short, has his economic and his
aesthetic value to plead his cause
with the sportsmen. No pleading Will
serve the bob whites case with the
pot hunter. The pot hunter is soul
less destroyer, and is beyond the
reach of every thing but the arm OF
the law, an arm of which he seems by
no means afraid.
Mr.. Judd tells us in his brief for
Bob" that sit is reasonable to assume
for instance that in the States OF
Virginia and North Carolina, from
September 1 to April 80, the season
when the largest proportion Of weed
seeds is consumed by birds, there are
four bob whites to each square mile
of land, or 354,820 in the two States.
The crop of each bird holds an ounce
of seed, and is full twice day. Since
at each of the two daily meals weed
seeds constitute at least half OF the
contents of the crop, or quarter OF
an ounce, a half-ounce daily is con-
sumed by each bird On this basis,
the total consumption of weed SEEDS
by bob whites from September l TO
April 80 in Virginia and North Caro-
lima amounts to 1,341 tons. 1t is to
be remembered, also, that il it were
not for foxes, hawks, and trespasslng
pot-hunters, the number OF birds
would be increased, and their ser
vices correspondly greater. Insects
form about one-third of bob whites
diet from June 1 to August 81, and
a. calculation similar to the one en-
ployed above shows that $40 tons OF
insects are destroyed during this
period.
While this estimate is made for the
States of Virginia and North Carolina,
it holds true in sense for all the
States which the common quail
honors with it's presence. There are
mot as many quail in New York,
probably, as there are in Virginia,
but, as far as ornithologists know,
there is no climatic or food reason
why the bird should not be abundant
in all farming parts of New York.
1t is absolutely necessary, however,
that the bob white should be pro-
tect.!. for two or three seasons-ab-
solutely protected in order that his
family may have a chance to show
that race suicide is thing apart, and
that the depletion of the feathered
ranks is due largely to the work OF
the man with the shotgun.
The quail is not shot in the spring
of the year, or at least is not shot in
the spring by anyone who has either
heart or conscience. 1t has been said
that, If bob white would change his
spring note for his fall note, he would
go through life without being under
the necessity of lodging shot at every
hedge-row corner. In other words,
the spring note of Bob is so absolutely
pleading that any person who has
sympathetic chord in his nature will
refuse to shoot the little brown fellow
who whistles to him from the fence
post, and then whirrs down only to
mount another fence-post and to call
again with note in which both
pathos and cheer are mingled.
Touching the aesthetic value of bob
white, Mr.. Judd has this to say:
Much money has been spent, and
we'll spent, merely for the enjoyment
of the beauty and companionship of
birds. For the protection of gulls and
terms along the Atlantic coast, thou
sands of dollars have been expended
at the instance of bird-lovers in
whose eyes these delicate and grace
full creatures are the browning at
fractions of marine landscape. In
like manner, the admirers of bob
white derive aesthetic pleasure from
his presence. To pastoral inland
scenes-wood lots in green mist of
young leaves and summer grains,
fields and bushy pastures, brown stub
BILE and skeleton cornfelds-the bob
white adds a distinctive charm
homely but none the less attractive.
"As the bird calls from the fence
post or runs fearlessly across the
road, the stroller cannot but admire
its trim, alert figure, and tasteful
color pattern of black and white, and
brown, set off with delicate tintings
of blue-gray. Its mellow whistle
seems to prefer a good fellowship,
investing even solitude with cheer,
while the plaintive 'covey-calP heard
in the growing darkness to summon
a scattered flock to nightly resting