Class II. Q^ U A I L. 277 



Quails are found in mod parts of Great-Bri- 

 tain -, but not in any quantity: they are birds of 

 paflfage : fome entirely quitting our ifland, others 

 fliifting their quarters. A gentleman, to whom 

 this work lies under great obligations for his fre- 

 quent afliftance, has afTured u?, that thefe birds 

 migrate out of the neighbouring inland countries, 

 into the hundreds of EJfex^ in 05ioher^ and continue 

 there all the winter : if froft or fnow drive them 

 out of the ilubble fields and marfhes, they retreat 

 to the fea-fide; fhetter themfelves. among the 

 weeds, and live upon what they can pick up 

 from the algce^ &c. between high and low water 

 mark. Our friend remarks, that the time of their 

 appearance in Ejfey:^ coincides with that of their 

 leaving the inland counties; the fame obfervation 

 has been made in Hampjhire. 



Thefe birds are much lefs prolific than the par- 

 tridge, feldom laying more than fix or feven whitifh 

 eggs, marked with ragged ruft colored fpots: yet 

 Mr. Holland ^i Conway., once found a neft with 

 twelve eggs, eleven of v/hich were hatched : they 

 are very eafily taken, and may be enticed any where 

 by a call. 



They are birds of great fpirit ; infomuch that 

 quail fighting among the Athenians was as great an 

 entertainment as cock fighting is in this country: it 

 is at this time a falhionable diverfion in China^ and 

 large fums are betted there on the event*. The 



*BelVs Tra'vds, I. 371. 



bodies 



