“THE QUAILS. 379 
but still more from the wholesale slaughter of them which takes place 
in certain districts at the time of migration. The bishop of the 
island of Capri, situated in the Bay of Naples, receives an annual 
revenue of 40,000 francs (£i,600 sterling) from the duty he has 
imposed upon Quails taken on the island, to be sold in the markets 
of Naples. From this he has received the name of the “ Bishop of 
the Quails.” 
On the shores of the Bosphorus, in the Morea, Crimea, and in 
some of the islands of the Grecian Archipelago, Quails sometimes 
arrive in such dense masses that, according to a popular saying, it is 
only necessary “to stoop to pick them up.” On arrival they fall ex- 
hausted upon the ground, and te sky may almost be said to be razning 
birds. The inhabitants, who have been watching for them for many 
days, now net them in great numbers, and, having salted them, and 
packed them in barrels, export them to different countries. 
Quails travel principally in the evening and during the night. 
They ascend to a tolerable height, never flying against the wind ; but, 
on the contrary, scud before it, and are thus carried across the Medi- 
terranean. ‘lhe south winds bring them to us, and the north winds 
carry them back to Africa. If encountered by an adverse gale during 
“their passage across the ocean they have not power to resist it, but 
fall into the waves. Thousands of them have been found drowned 
around the precipitous shores of the island of Malta; their strength 
had failed them, and, from being unable to gain sufficient elevation, 
they found a watery grave. Occasionally they take shelter on the 
decks of passing vessels. 
Quails frequent plains covered with cereals, or pasture lands. 
They delight in rolling in the dust, and are never known to perch. 
Their food consists of seeds and insects. They are not sociable 
birds, for the sexes do not approach one another except in the 
breeding season, and parent and young separate as soon as the 
mother’s care is no longer necessary for the protection of the brood. 
This time soon arrives, as the little things are of rapid growth. The 
females lay twice during the year, once in Europe and once in Africa, 
and each time produce from ten to fourteen eggs. 
The Quail is a very swift runner, and employs this mode of loco- 
motion to escape pursuit, unless the danger is imminent. If flushed, 
it flies in a straight line, keeping close to the ground. Onre-alighting 
it shows itself a thorough master in the art of throwing dogs off their 
scent. 
When killed at the proper time—that is to say, when it has rested 
after its fatiguing journey, and recovered condition—it is covered 
