106 BIRDS OF TASMANIA. ' 



Eggs. — Clui.ch seven to pleven geiierally; iu shape roundish 

 oval, with the texture somevi^hat coarse and the surface glossy; 

 the ground colour, which is dirty-yellow, is heavily blotched and 

 smudged with dark olive-green. Dimensions in mm. of a clutch : 

 —(1) 29 X 22, (2) 31 X 23, (3) 30 x 21, (4) 32 x 21, (5) 31 x 23, (6) 

 29 X 22, (7) 30 x 24, (8) 28 x 22, (9) 29 x 21. 



Breeding Season. — Somewhat irregular, but may be roughly 

 stated to be from October to January or February. 



Geographical Distribution. — Tasmania, New South Wales, 

 Victoria, Queensland, South and Western Australia. 



Observations. — Shooting begins 1st ^lay, ends 30th June. 

 Practically' every district that has been cultivated holds 

 this fine game bird in greater or lesser numbers. Areas that 

 have been down with cereal crops are preferred to mere grass- 

 lands, as they provide a far better supply of food. Gould re- 

 marks : — " Open grassy plains, extensive grass-flats, and the parts 

 of the country under cultivation are situations favourable to the 

 habit of this bird. In its economy and mode of life it so closely 

 resembles the Quail of Europe that a description of one is equally 

 descriptive of the other. Its powers of flight are considerable, 

 and when flushed it wings its way with arrow-hke swiftness to a 

 distant part of the plain ; it lies well to a pointer, and has from the 

 first settlement of the State always afforded considerable amuse- 

 ment to the sportsmen. It is an excellent bird for the table, 

 fully equalizing in this respect its European representative." 



Through this bird nesting in grain crops, numbers of eggs are 

 destroyed every year. On account of the irregularity of the 

 nesting season, which sometimes extends right into early- 

 autumn, 3'oung birds maj' frequently be met with when the shoot- 

 ing season opens. This fact causes some sportsmen to complain 

 that the " season " opens too early, j^et there are others again who 

 say it opens too late. But while Quail continue to nest so irregu- 

 larly there will always be young birds about, no matter when 

 the " season " is. 



" Tlie chief food of this species consists of grain, seeds, and 

 insects; the grain, as a matter of course, being only procured 

 in cultivated districts, hence the name of ' Stubble ' Quail has 

 been given to the bird by the colonists of Tasmania, from the 

 great numbers that visit the fields after the harvest is over " 

 (Gould). 



As a game bird this species is much appreciated by gourmets. 

 Owing to the straightness of its flight it is easier to shoot than 

 the other species. To a certain extent Quail are nomadic in 

 their habits ; they move about from district to district or one part 

 of a district to another. Their movements are largely dependent 

 on the amount of food available. After having obtained all avail- 

 able food from the stubble fields they scatter over the gi'assy 

 pasture lands, and pick up what they can. 



