EXCALPATOIilA 183 



low-lyiiiL,' lands between K.uuhvick and liotany, and where in the eaily days the late Mr. 11. 

 Newcombe records it was not uncommon for the dogs to rise coveys of forty or more when the 

 birds were resting during the heat of the day. It is still to be found in these localities, but in 

 greatly diminished numbers, and what few remain usually seek' shelter in the secure retreats 

 allbrded them by the Botany Water Reserve and the Centennial Park. Farther away from the 

 city these birds are by no means uncommon, and they occur in favourable situations througlunit 

 all the coastal districtsof ICastern and South-eastern .\ustralia. 



The King ( Hiail is ivd much souglit after as an aiticle of food, for it measures little more than 

 five inches in length ; neither does it afford much sport in the lield, for as a rule it is very difficult 

 to rise, and then only skims over the top of the cover before suddenly dropping into concealment 

 again. When once disturbed it is almost impossible to make the bird rise a second time. Its 

 food consists of small seeds and insects, principally the former. Mr. J. .\. Boyd wrote me that 

 King Ouail were very common at Ripple Creek, Herbert River District, North-eastern ( )ueens- 

 land, while Mr. George Savidge has often found it breeding at Copmanhurst, in the Upper 

 Clarence District, New South Wales. 



Individual variaticin exists in the colour of both the adult male and female of this species. 

 In a specimen now before me, shot at Botany, a distmct greyish wash pervades all the feathers 

 of the upper parts. Some adult females have the upper parts more blotched with black, and 

 the feathers on the under parts of a deeper rufous-buff, and more broadly crossed with transverse 

 black bars. 



The late Mr. Henry Newcombe, of Randwick, gave me the following notes: — " The King 

 Quail (Exailfatoria lincata) is found chiefly in swampy ground, with plenty of undergrowth or 

 rushes growing thickly thereon. In the deserted gardens at Botany previously mentioned there 

 were great numbers, especially in tlie old drains, where they were to be found in the heat of the 

 day, or close alongside of them. It was nothing uncommon for the dogs to raise coveys ranging 

 from forty to fifty at a time. The writer found a nest in the old Water Reserve (now Centenial 

 Park) under a tuft of coarse grass, containing four spotted eggs, the latter now in his possession." 



Mr. George Savidge wrote me :— "The Least Swamp Ouail ( Excalfatoria Iiucata), commonly 

 called the ' King ' Quail, is fairly plentiful about the Clarence River District, showing a preference 

 for low swampy places. Marshy flats at the back of Yamba contain a large number. They are 

 too small to be much esteemed as a game bird, the majority of shooters not considering them 

 worth a charge of shot. The breeding season commences in September, and I have found them 

 as late as June. They rear several broods each year, and the nests contain from five to nine 

 eggs. Most of my Quail eggs are found after New Year ; this is on account of farmers mowing 

 their crops at that time. I have found nests with eggs of the Least Swamp Quail on the 30th 

 August, 5th October, nth November and 23rd February." 



From Melbourne, Victoria, Mr. G. A. Keartland wrote me:— "The ' King ' Quail {E.xcalfatoyia 

 Uiicata) is seldom seen near Melbourne, but is numerous at Loch and other places along the 

 South Gippsland line. On one occasion I shot four pairs at Heidelberg, on a flat near the Yarra, 

 but they had only been there a few days, as I had been over the same ground several times the 

 previous week. At Loch 1 found them breeding as late as May, and when my dogs disturbed a 

 brood of half grown chickens they scattered like a lot of butterflies." 



Mr. P. L. O'Shannassy found a nest of this species while out shooting on the Kurrah 

 Plains, near Inverloch, South Gippsland, Victoria; he wrote :—" On the 2nd May, 1SS9, 

 whilst Quail shooting, my setter made a point, and a female King Quail rose and my companion 

 shot it. The dog still remaining on point I searched the heather, and immediately under his 

 legs I disturbed the male and discovered the nest made of grasses and the dried wiry-like leaves 



