Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-05-12
FRIEND BOB WHITE,
HE NEVER DESERTS US
It Would be q Calamity if Quail
Should Go as Other
Birds Have.

We would as soon part with one OF
our best acquaintances ns with Bob
White To speak truly, he is one Of the
most faithful of all our friends. Others
may and do desert us, for one cause
or another-but Bob White, never
A few years baclt, we could count Ring
Necked Pheasant, Ruff Grouse, Mr..
Wild Turkey, and Tommy Prairie-Chick-
en- among our close country neighbors-
but now all are gone, or nearly all Bobby
remains Bobby with his delightful, musi-
cal springtine whistle always cheerful,
always happy Unlike the others, he de-
sires to stay where folks are. He likes 10
call us before the rise Of sun on May
morning and whistle TO us al through the
day from his perch on the top-rail
II would be almost q calamity to have
Bob White 90, as so many other American
birds have gone. Nor will he 90 il bis
friends can prevent It. All this winter
while the snow covered the meadows and
the tinplowed atubblc where Bob and his
mates find a living we have been feeding
n score or more OF them They come in n
chirping. futtering flock to the cleared
space under the frs rs soon as the cracked
corn and the wheat are scattered for them.
But there is nothing selfish or greedy or
lazy about Bob White and his mates.
For ms soon as the snow melts and the
meadow Is uncovered, they insist on rtistl-
ing for themselves
In districts where freezing weather
prevails for n continued period Bob
White and his fellows have a hard time
Of if unless their friends among the
humankind offer n helping hand Bob
White ran pass through rs much cold
weather as anv feathered creature within
its natural range. but IL is sometimes
difficult for him 10 0htainfood handful
of grain thrown To hiTn and his hungry
mates will often get them safely through
And it may he depended upon that such
service will be many times ropald
For Bob White not only repays with
the delightful music Of his chcorf ul whistle
btf in the part he plays as m oily 70 the
farmer in protecting crops. Weed seeds
wasted grain in the stubble field are biz
bread. while the berries Of the rcd haw
the buckthorn and tho rod berry are his
pie. There are times through the early
winter when he contrivcs 10 subsist ~
barberries. sumac and the bud shoots d
the swcetbriar
Bob White. wants nothing that man
his friend. may urgently need nothing
that the asking Of may prove 4 loss
If g0lI doubt thus, 90 out into the Helf
whore the now hay crop il being cut
You will find tufts here and there thai
the moving sickle loft II you look closely
you will find in the protecting tangle O
some tuft the nest ~ Bob White. i
Mr. Farmer discovers the nest IN time
he wlll drive his mower carefully arounf
II. III order 10 preserve the house If /
friend II il vet to be shown thet Bot
White has ever destroyed 4 single frui
or any standing gram. lie viii eat straw
berry # vol give IT, to him. but To yisit
the patch and peck INTO the berries Il
some birds Do never Neither docs th'
grape vineyard tempt him. The fact j
Tint when early fruit comes On, Bob il
busy IN the field the garden, helpinl
10 protect the crops. Ia addition 70 othe
food of % Use % the faner he turns
u such noxIous things AZ pigneed, smart
weed foxtalI, crabgrass and aaWgrass
Little wonder Mr.. Farmer takes care O
Bob " Nhltes nest at hay time. For i
you want i friend, yon must he one. An,
we can have few better friends than Bot
White.-Christian Science Monitor.