THE QUAIL. 



205 



lien bird, so as to decoy a great many quails into his net. Then he brings 

 thcni to the London market, and sells them for the table, their flesh being 

 thought a delicacy. 



. The mother bird scrapes a little hole in the ground, and fills it with 

 grass, or stalks, or clover, and lays her eggs upon it. They are of a dull 

 orange colour, speckled with brown. 



THE QUAIL. 



The quail is much smaller than the partridge, and the feathers of its head 

 are black, edged with rusty brown. The breast is a pale yellow red, spotted 

 with black, and the feathers on the back are marked with pale yellow lines. 



The young birds soon learn to follow their mother, and feed on seeds, 

 grains, and insects. They are often killed by the sportsman in the stubble 

 'fields in the autumn. But in October most of them leave England, though 

 some remain and arc seen durincr the winter. 



