NEW SOUTH WALES 95 



DISTRIBUTION OF QUAIL 

 (Plate 3, Fig. 93) 



The true Quail of the Commonwealth is the 

 Stubble Quail (Coturnix pectoralis). It is a grass 

 loving bird, and is local in its habit as long as the 

 food supply is present. Should a plague of mice 

 or caterpillars come along they get the seed and 

 the quail moves away. Thus we get an ever- 

 changing position. If a Central Australian drought 

 rages the birds move southward in a great mass 

 to the Murray River swamps, c^ 



Other quails are the Painted and Brown. The 

 Brown species *'a," (map 39) is variable in different 

 swamps, and is the swiftest flier of the quails. 



The island form of "a" is b, and it is a paler 

 bird. Because it is so constant in its colour it is 

 thought to be a species. 



The King Quail *'d," map 39, has more colour 

 than our other quails and it is more broadly dis- 

 tributed. It is said to be the smallest known game 

 bird, and keeps to swampy ground. 



The Painted Quail *'c" has no hind toe. The call 

 is a once repeated coo before rising from the heath 

 in a wavy flight. 



The Plain Wanderer with a spotted ring upon 

 its neck keeps to the area *'e," occasionally nest- 

 ing as far south as the plains just west of 

 Melbourne. 



