258 Wild Birds and their Haunts 



towards the sea-shore, flies only in the night. It leaves 

 the lands, where it has passed the day, about the dusk of 

 the evening, and settles again with the dawn of the 

 morning. Not unfrequently, while performing their 

 transit, they become weary, and alight on vessels or fall 

 into the sea, and are drowned." 



' ' Being at a small town on the coast in the month of 

 May," says M. Pellicot, " I saw some boats come in with 

 ten or a dozen sharks. They were all opened before me, 

 and there was not one which had not from eight to twelve 

 quails in its body." 



Enormous flights are annually observed at the spring 

 and fall, after crossing an immense surface of sea, to take 

 a brief repose in the islands of Malta, Sicily, Sardinia, 

 Crete, in the kingdom of Naples, and about Con- 

 stantinople, where, on these occasions, there is a general 

 shooting match, which lasts two or three days. This 

 occurs always in the autumn. The birds, starting from 

 the Crimea about seven at night, and with a northerly 

 wind, before dawn accomplish a passage of about sixty 

 leagues in breadth, and alight on the southern shore to 

 feed and repose. In the vernal season the direction of 

 the flight is reversed, and they arrive in similar condition 

 on the Russian coast. The same phenomena occur in 

 Malta and other places. 



On its arrival, the quail betakes itself to open plains and 

 rich grassy meadows — very like the partridge in this 

 respect — especially where the soil is calcareous, and 

 naturally avoids woody countries. During the early 

 part of summer it frequents corn fields, saintfoin, and 

 lucerne. In September it is found in stubble and clover 

 fields, and among the weeds growing in dry ponds, or it 

 finds shelter in any crops which may yet remain standing. 

 In warm countries it resorts to vineyards, attracted, it is 

 said, not so much by the grapes as by the numerous small 

 snails with which the vines are infested ; for the crops of 

 the late birds are generally found filled with tL^se 

 molluscs. 



In locomotion it makes more use of its feet than its 

 wings, and when put up is never induced to perch on a 



