Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1914-10-22
BOB WHITE OR QUAIL
Continued from page one

over water is hard TO md. open
places in the rivers are still to be
found OCCASIONALLY, and in Alma are
number Of flowing wells that may be
used. Shelters may be made if pro-
perly protected from the prowling
cats, etc., by the use of brush and
straw or some other suitable covering.
Feeding boxes may also be placed in
suitable places. Sunfiower, millet,
hemp, wheat, corn, are commonly
used. Nearly every one is familiar
with the method of fastening bit of
suet to limb in such manner that
it can not be carried away. Place
over it a screen when necessary, such
that larger animal can not get at it.
Winter feeding and care for birds is to
be the special topic for the next meet
ing of the Bird Club. This ought to
appeal to every one who has had birds
about their homes during the sum-
mer. The Club needs your support in
this work. The benefits will be the
greater the more that is done, and
everybody will share in the results of
bird protection. You can also help
very materially by becoming an active
member by giving your name to some
one who is a member, or to Miss Flor
ence Hood, Ala State Street. Your
support is essential to this work. Do
it now.
1t has been proposed to tell some
thing about birds that stay all winter
IN, &c lot do hot l.,
better what may be done.
A series of talks will be given from
week to week by the members of the
Alma Bird Club. This first talk is
written by Professor McCurdy, on the
Bob White or quail, and each week
different bird will be chosen. This
series is extremely interesting, and
contains information given us by those
who have studied the situation that we
ought to know
The bird to be given the first place
is:
The Bob White or Quail.
The Quail (Colinus virginianus) or
Bobwhite, is all too scarce in this
State, as it is throughout its range.
This is due to two causes here: the
fact that it is a priced "game" bird;
and to the long snowy winters. Know
ing these two things should help us
solve some of Bobwhite's hardest
problems. This bird is naturally
hardy but can not stand some things.
1t needs our help, not on its own
account, but on our account, for it is
one of the farmers best friends. This
rather small, fowl-like bird can
readily be known by the white
line over the eye, white throat,
and its brown, black and white
notified plumage. In the winter
months qualis go in Covers" seek
ing protection and food wherever
they can find it. The farmer who is
so fortunate as to have "covey" of
quails can do himself and his neigh
bors no better service than to take
every precaution to preserve them
through the winter months. They
will feed with the animals of the
barn yard and will far more than repay
the care they may take. During the
hard winters they should be especially
cared for, since it is then that so
many of them die from starvation be-
cause the snow covers up their usual
supply of food, weed seeds. And this
suggests in part the reason for our
protecting them.
DR.. Sylvester Judd, after carefully
studying their food habits and the
contents of large number of their
crops, finds that GO percent. of their
food is weeds and seeds, and Ia per-
cent. is noxious insects. This might
vary a little in the different seasons,
but it shows what they do. The chop
of one bird contained 500 seeds of rag
weed, another 400 pigweed seeds, and
still another $40 seeds of pigeon grass.
Thirteen birds, though their crops
were not well filled, had in their crops
in addition to other food 55S2 weed
seeds, which they had evidently taken
as partial meal. Among the insects
eaten by quails are the Colorado po-
tato beetle, the striped squash bug,
cotton boil weevil, chinch-bug grass
hoppers, cutworms, and other pests.
Professor of Illinois found one case
in which the stomach was nearly full
of chinchbugs. The quail is a good
ranger and if given right of way on
the farm will patrol every field in
search of food. Fortunately now, in
this State there is state law pro-
tecting them. The quail, if un-
molested and cared for during severe
winters, will increase and in the end
add wealth to the community that
protects them.
BY II. Nj. McCURDY,
Professor of Biology i'm Alma College