Page:What to do for Uncle Sam; a first book of citizenship (IA whattodoforuncle00bail).pdf/62

58 the friendly quail! That’s right; drop your gun.

The quail is the best policeman for the small pests of the farm ever known. That is why he risks his life and lives so near the fields. He keeps busy from sunrise until sunset and from ploughing to planting, killing the enemies of the food that is raised on the farm.

It is not enough to spare the life of the quail. Bob White needs protection. It is not a well-known fact, but quite true, that he suffers terribly in the winter. Sometimes quails are frozen fast for weeks at a time in the marshy meadows with the result that the birds are unable to survive. Boys and girls may prevent this by putting up little straw shelters, built like small tents or huts, in those spots near the farm where the quail is apt to flock, Some cracked corn can be scattered inside these shelters and Bob White can live inside, safe and warm, until spring comes and he starts out to follow the plow.

We must do all we can to protect and help the wild fowl of the open; the sage grouse, the partridge, the wild turkey, and the prairie hen. While we do not need these for food now, there may come a time when we shall. Teach your dog some other kind of sport than chasing them and let them have a long rest. Uncle Sam, himself, is thinking of doing something to protect the important