THE MUAII^S. 443 



re\cuucs of the bishop luid .souk.' i-onvenls arise tVoiii the quails they send to Naples. At 

 their arrival in Alexandria, such iimltitudes arc exposed in the markets, that three or 

 four Tna-\' be bought for a halfpenny. (Jre\vs of merchant vessels have been fed upon 

 them; and complaints have been laid at the consul's office by mariners against their 

 captains for giving nothing but quails to eat — so much does over-abundance depreciate 

 the greatest delicacies. 



The author of "Letters from the Campagua Felice" relates the following anecdote, 

 which also illustrates how incredibly abundant quails sometimes are on this part of the 

 ^lediterranean coast : — " During the time that the Capitani Bey blockaded the harbour 

 of Alexandria with his Turkish squadron, one of the Greek sailors of his ship had caught 

 two or three quails, which had perched on the rigging. The Mussulman rewarded him 

 generouslv ; and, desirous of varying the hard fare which a blockading squadron has 

 occasionally to sustain, by a more ample supply of such a delicate rarity, jiromised a piastre 

 for every bird that should be brought him. In a few days the rigging, sails, and yards were 

 covered vrith. flocks of quails ; great numbers were caught, of course, and every one was 

 brought into the cabin, as the prii'c was liberall}' fixed. To escape the dilenuua of either 

 ruining his piirse or breaking his promise, the bey resorted to the alternative of standing 

 out to sea, as by leaving the coast he got rid of the visits of these exjiensive strangers." 

 Such prodigious numbers also aj^pear on the western coasts of the kingdom of Naples, 

 that a hundred thousand have in ajje day been caught within the space of three or four 

 miles, ifost of these, are taken to Rome, where they are in great request, and sold for 

 extremely high prices. Gait, in his travels through Sicily, thus describes the fervour 

 and excitement of the quail season : — " In the month of September vast flocks of quails 

 come over from the continent to Sicily, and being fatigued by their flight, are easily shot 

 on theii' arrival. The pleasure which the inhabitants of Palermo take in this sport is 

 incredible. Crowds of all ages and degrees assemble on the shores, and the number of 

 sportsmen is prodigious. In one group I reckoned eleven, and in less than half a mile 

 thirtv-four groups, each consisting of from two to five persons, with as many dogs. The 

 number of boats is perhaps greater than those on the land. From morning to night they 

 watch the appearance of the birds ; the aquatics first seeing tl>em, their firing rouses and 

 gives signal to the landsmen : then enviable is the lot of the apprentice who, with a 

 borrowed old musket or pistol — no matter how unsafe — ^has gained possession of the 

 farthest accessible rock, where there is but room for himself and dog, which he had fed 

 with bread only all the year round for these delightful days, and which sits in as happy 

 expectation as himself for the coming of the quails." 



Strange as it maj^ seem to some, the soiifj of quails has been long noted among their 

 attractive qualities. It is noticed by Athenffius ; and Dr. Bechsteiu, in his " Natural 

 History of Cage-Birds," reckons, besides the beauty of its form and plumage, the song of 

 the quail as no slight recommendation to the amateur. He states that, in the breeding- 

 season, the song of the male commences by softlj' repeating tones resembling ferra, rerra, 

 followed by jjievorir, uttered in a bold tone, \vith the neck raised, the eyes shut, and the 

 head inclined on one side. Those that i-epeat the last syllables ten or twelve times 

 consecutively are the most esteemed. The song of the female only consists of ivnv, 

 oerra, piqm, pi(j)t(, the two last syllables being those by which' the male and female attract 

 each other's attention. When alarmed or angry, their cry resembles guiUah, but at 

 other times it is only a gently purring murmur. The quail never sings when left to run 

 about in a light room, except during the night, but continually when in a darkened cage ; 

 so firmly rooted are its nocturnal instincts. 



" AVarm as a quail," is a French proverb. The Chinese have the same notion ; they 

 use this bird for warming their hands in cold weather — an application which is frequently 

 delineated in Chinese paintings. 



