80 
The Birds of Pembrokeshire. 
rences which came under our own notice were all of single 
birds obtained in the winter months. Captain O. T. Edwardes, 
of Tyrhos, shot one in December, on Tyrhos Common, close 
to Stone Hall. Mr. Dix writes: “An adult female was shot at 
Boncath, near here, on September 7th, 1867, and was sent to 
me a day or two afterwards; it was flushed from amongst some 
rushes in a wet springy meadow, where in winter we usually 
find snipes. This singularly agrees with the observations in the 
‘Birds of Norfolk.’ Eight or nine years ago five were seen 
near here, of which three were shot; and about twelve years 
ago three were seen near Eglwyswrw, and all were shot; they 
were all found in and near similar cover to the bird I have. I 
think I never saw a bird so loaded with fat as that sent me; 
although rolled up in four or five thicknesses of newspaper, the 
grease went through all, and the feathers were so saturated that 
I almost despaired of cleaning them.” Mr. Dix was an intimate 
friend of Mr. H. Stevenson, the author of the “ Birds of Nor- 
folk,” and on referring to that admirable work, we find (vol. i, 
p. 431) that Mr. Stevenson attributes the scarcity of the Quail 
in the county of Norfolk, at the present day, to the fact that the 
rough, swampy places that were the birds favourite grounds, 
have all been enclosed and ploughed up. In the Zoologist for 
1870, Mr. Dix records the abundance of Quail in Cardiganshire 
and North Pembrokeshire that year. There were many nests, 
and. he himself heard of 330 having been killed by eighteen 
sportsmen, who supplied him with their lists, and thinks that 
the total number bagged may have been from four to five times 
that number. Nearly the whole were shot in September. Early 
in October several sportsmen looked after Quails, but could 
find none. The first Quail was noticed in the middle of July, 
near a field in which two nests were subsequently found. 
“This was a barley field, and when it was cut, about August 
14th, two nests were found; one contained eggs. Near the 
other nine young ones, just hatched, were seen; these remained 
near the same spot for some time. Another nest with eggs was 
found within a day or two of the above date, and not more than 
