QUAIL. 199 



eat the corn too, as it ripens, but are very much more useful than 

 injurious to agriculture. 



Quails are exceedingly pugnacious birds. In spring, they 

 have the most desperate encounters with each other. The 

 Romans availed themselves of their quarrelsome nature for 

 gambling purposes, and also in order to amuse themselves. Shakes- 

 peare alludes to this — 



And his Quails ever 

 Beat mine inhoop'd at odds. 



— Anthony and Gleojiatra II. , 3. 



Thus jealous Quails, or village cocks inspect 

 Each other's necks, with stiffen'd plumes erect ; 

 Smit with the wordless eloquence, they show 

 The vivid passion of the threat'ning foe. 



Quails are generally said to have been much more numerous 

 in England fifty years ago, than they are now, and this certainly 

 seems to have been the case in Herefordshire. On the southern 

 side of the county, they were formerly frequently to be met with. 

 On the Pengethley estate, in the vicinity of Ross, there is a field 

 called " Quail Field," in the ancient terrier of the property. The 

 soil is very light, and the crops of carrots which were formerly 

 grown, instead of the turnips and swedes of the present day, were a 

 favourite resort of the Quails. Mr. J. F. Symonds heard this from 

 his relative, the owner of the estate, some thirty years ago, and he 

 witnessed the following curious confirmation of the old character of 

 the field. The squire was always the butt of the party on account 

 of his bad shooting. On this particular occasion he had let off his 

 gun many times with the usual harmless effect, until at last, in 

 this very " Quail Field," he accidentally killed a Quail. It was a 

 beautiful bird, in good condition, and the squire was so gratified 

 at his success, that he constantly told this Quail chapter of his 

 boyhood's reminiscences, to his friends in Herefordshire. 



Mr. Lingwood in his notes, records Quails as occurring 

 at "Belmont, 1847, and Llanwarne, 1852." In 1862, Mr. J. 

 F. Symonds bought some live Quails in London, which had been 

 intended for the tables in Belgravia, and after keeping them for 

 some time at Okeleigh, on Broomy Hill, he turned them loose 

 in pairs, hoping they would find their way to the corn-fields of 



