262 INDIAN SPOETING BIRDS 



night, and must often go very high, as they cross the Himalayas 

 on one of their migration routes ; in fact, the bulk of our quail 

 in India come to us in this way, arriving usually during the 

 first half of September. These have summered in Central Asia ; 

 but a further set come in on our north-western coasts, from 

 Arabia and Africa, and these arrive before August is out. 



Once arrived in India, the quail proceed to distribute them- 

 selves according to circumstances ; a place may be swarming 

 with them one day and deserted the next, for they still keep 

 moving on in many cases. They never reach the extreme 

 southern and western parts of our area, however, not penetrating 

 as far as Ceylon, nor have they been found in Tenasserim, while 

 even in Chittagong and Burma they are rare. In Lower Bengal, 

 also, they cannot usually be very common, for I only heard of 

 them as abundant in the winter of 1900-1901, out of seven 1 

 spent in Calcutta. In years of scarcity they are common in 

 Central and Southern India, and the worse the season the 

 further they naturally go ; but normally Upper India is their 

 stronghold, though they are only really abundant locally. In 

 March they are commonest, because then they are drawing up 

 for the northward migration. The variation in their visiting 

 numbers is estimated by Hume as probably one of many 

 millions, and this is quite likely, for this quail is probably one 

 of the most numerous birds in the world. Man, it is true, is a 

 great enemy, as has been said ; but, on the other hand, he creates 

 conditions favourable for the bird, which is quite at home in 

 cultivation, and only avoids deserts, swamps, and forest, which 

 are just the sort of country which man desires to see converted 

 into cultivable land, and which without him form the major 

 part of the earth's surface. The common quail not only finds 

 shelter, but food in human cultivations ; for although in the 

 wilds its food must consist only of grass-seed, small berries, and 

 insects, it gladly feeds on grain, especially the various kinds 

 of millets. When the crops are reaped, it takes to bush-jungle 

 and a diet of wild produce. Quail feed in the morning and 

 evening, and probably also at night, for in captivity they are 

 active then ; by day they are very sluggish, and may even be 

 trodden upon sometimes before rising, though at others they 



