MIGRATION OF THE QUAIL. 261 



choose a northerne wind to flie with; and they have one mlghtie great Quailc, 

 called Ortygometra, to lead the way, and conduct them as their captain. The 

 formost of them, as he approacheth neere to land, paieth toll for the rest unto 

 the Hawke, who presently for his welcome preieth upon him. Whensoever at 

 any time they are upon their remoove and departure out of these parts, they 

 persuade other birds to beare them company, and by their inducements there 

 go in their train the Glottis, Otis, and Cychramus. * * * 



•' But to return to our Quailes aforesaid. If a contrarie wind 

 should chance to arise and begin to drive against them, and hinder their flight; 

 to prevent this inconvenience they are well provided. For they flie well 

 ballaised, either with small weightie stones within their feet, or els with sand 

 stuffed in their craw: the seed or grain of the White Elebore, (a very poison,) 

 they love passing well, and it is their best meat. But hereupon it is, that 

 they are not served up as a dish to the table. Moreover they are wont to 

 fome and slaver at the mouth, by reason of the falling sicknesse, unto which 

 they only of all other creatures, but man again, are subject." 



Such is the amusing account Pliny gives us of the migration, etc., of the 

 Quail. The information Gould affords on this subject is scanty. He says, 

 ^^In the British Isles the Quail is more sparingly dispersed, arriving in spring 

 as soon as the tender corn is of sufficient height to afford it shelter, and re- 

 maining with us till it has performed the duties of incubation." 



Yarrell is more full in his account; he tells us that the Quail arrives in 

 this country in May; that the males come before the females; and that the 

 greater portion leave us in October. He also says, ^'this bird has generally 

 been considered as a summer visitor only to Great Britain; but so many 

 instances have latterly been recorded of its occurrence in Ireland in particular, 

 as well as in England, during the winter months, as to make it appear that 

 a portion of them do not return south in autumn." 



Macgillivray agrees with Yarrell in fixing the time of their arrival to be 

 May, but differs from him by dating their departure in September. 



It is however to the latter part of Yarrell's account that I wish to draw 

 attention. In the "Zoologist," I find several notices of the occurrence of the 

 Quail in winter. At page 361, after stating that he saw one on East Ilsley 

 Downs, February 12th., 1840, the writer, Mr. W. Hewitt, informs us that 

 he has heard his father say that he has caught Quails under sieve-traps in 

 severe weather about Christmas, at Spodon, in Oxfordshire. 



Page 871, — Quails were seen near Cambridge in November and December, 

 1844. 



Page 1299.— A Quail was killed at Shiffnal, Salop, December 20th., 1846. 



Page 1367. — A Quail was killed at Topham, in Cambridgeshire, at the 

 end of January; and two were seen in a poulterer's shop at Bury St. Edmunds, 

 in February, or the beginning of March, 1846. 



1 have one more instance to add, which came under my own observation. 

 On the 1st. of last February, my brother shot a Quail in the parish of 



