Bird lore - Project Puffin

community. Cleanliness and success in
farming or fruit culture are inseparable.
And just for this reason failures have
resulted from attempts to establish Bob-
whites in the West. The habitat in the
South where the birds are most plentiful
needs only to be cited to confirm this.
The poorly cultivated or abandoned farm
bearing in abundance only ragweed,
lespedeza, sumach, rank growths of beggar
lice and wild peas, is the home where thej^
multiply the most. And there, also, as a
guard against predatory creatures of the
air, are the net-work of dewberry vines
on the ground and the thickets of briars.
Farms in the West that have been stocked
with quails in most cases afford condi-
tions directly the contrary. The natural
winter feeds are lacking, and the shelters
they have always frequented are not there.
It is reasonable to anticipate better
results from the introduction of Bob-
whites, if on every eight}' acres of land
one-half of an acre or even a smaller plot
is given to the birds, and in it are planted
feeds and cover vines as nearly similar as
would grow to those in their own home.
Immediately in this way they would
reconcile themselves to their new quarters,
having faith from the start in being able
to ward off the attacks of predatory
creatures, and being thoroughly assured
of a supply of feeds that they really know
and like. Whenever bird clubs accept
this method of propagating Bob-whites,
just so soon will their fields ring with the
plaintive, melodious call of the quails.
Bird-lovers have shown an inclination
to bring their pets to the very thorough-
fares of the cities. Some city quarters are
homes for Ring-necks and other pheas-
ants, but the latest fad, and it evidences a
chance of success, is to have Bob-whites
roam on the city lawn. From this, one
must not at once believe that the quails
are cooped in a small yard, or that their
liberties are in any way restricted, but
they have the run of lawns growing large
plants and shrubbery. In the fashionable
dwelling-district of a city boasting a popu-
lation of seven hundred thousand people,
quails are seen feeding in the middle of
Notes from Field and Study 367
the streets. The mansion where their
owner resides, together with lawns and
flower-gardens, occupy a city block. Cer-
tainly these royal birds add a touch of
beauty and a faint atmosphere of the
country to the surroundings. The owner's
familiarity with game in a wild state has
induced him to give the Bob-whites a small
plot to themselves. It is the exact repro-
duction of an abandoned hill farm, to the
most insignificant plant.
The most interesting part in this
attempt at quail culture in a city is the
assistance afforded by the small boys in
keeping the locality free from prowling
cats. This, too, has tempted other bird-
life there.
When the dwellers of the city interest
themselves in game birds to the degree
that they will sacrifice something for their
welfare, it is easy to conceive how
promptly they can be instilled with a love
for all wild birds. No matter to what
extremities it will lead them when it
develops into a passion, they will always
feel well repaid for their devotion to these
plucky little brown birds, when the
turmoil of city life is suddenly stilled by
the soft vibrant note of the calling quails.
— John B. Thompson, Doniphan, Mo.
Notes on a Flicker Homestead
I have just finished reading some very
interesting articles in the Wilson Bulletin
on the habits and haunts of the Flicker.
It calls to mind a nest of Flickers that my
son's family and I have been watching for
over a month. The old birds, in hunting
for a suitable place for their nesting purposes,
found a box which my son had
nailed to a tree near our dining-room window
and porch, thinking some birds might
be attracted to it. The first year (1915)
it was homesteaded by Gray Squirrels that
spent quite a while hiding away nuts, I
suppose for their winter food. The
Flickers, after much deliberation, decided
it was a safe and desirable place to locate,
so they proceeded to clean house, which
they did very effectually, each one by
turns carryiog away the old matter. It was