274 BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. 



the black collar and stripes on these parts ; the chest has the same 

 ground colour as the lower parts, and is closely and deeply marked 

 with black bars. 



Specimens of both sexes now before me are armed with a spur on 

 each leg ; that of the male being the most developed. This armature 

 is common to all our Francolins ; the 9 assuming it as she gets old. 



Genus COTURNIX, Mseliring. 

 Bill short, more or less elevated at the base and arched to 

 the tip, which is obtuse ; the sides compressed ; the nostrils 

 basal, lateral, and covered by a hard scale ; wings moderate, 

 with the second, third, and fourth quills the longest ; tail 

 very short, mostly hidden by the coverts, and pendant ; tarsi 

 short, covered in front with divided scales, and unarmed ; 

 toes moderate, united at their base, with the inner toe shorter 

 than the outer ; the hind toe short ; the claws short and 

 slightly curved. 



531. Coturnix Dactylisonans. (Temm.) Cotur- 



nix Major, Bris. ; G. Europcea, Swain. ; C. Vulgaris, 

 Jard., Gould. B. of Eur., PI. 263 ; Tetrao Cotuimix, 

 Lin., PL, Enl. 170 ; Coturnix Communis, Bonn. ; The 

 Quail. 



Above brown, variegated with grey and black ; the shafts of 

 many of the feathers with a broad white stripe ; head durk- 

 brown, with a light buff stripe down the centre, and over 

 each eye ; throat and chest, deep rufous ; the former in the 

 male with a black patch down the centre, the latter with 

 faint- whitish lines down the shafts of the feathers ; flaoks 

 longitudinally richly variegated with dark-brown, black, and 

 pale buff; belly light yellow-brown, immaculate. Length, 

 6" 8"' ; wing, 3" 9'" ; tail, 1" 7'". 



The common quail arrives at this, the most southern limit of its 

 migration, about the end of August (sometimes as early as the 15th), 

 in great numbers. At first, if the corn crops are not sufficiently high to 

 afibrd it the necessary cover, it frequents the grassy plains and stunted 

 bushes It breeds in the standing crops, depositing its eggs in a mere 

 depression of the soil, sometimes without even a few shreds of grass 

 to protect the eggs from the ground. The eggs, from six to twelve in 

 number, are of a yellowish ground, more or less spotted and blotched 

 with dark-brown : axis, 1" 3'" ; diameter, 12'". 



The young birds run the instant they are excluded, and are attended 

 by both parents, who will feign lameiieiis and tumble about before the 

 dog, or hunter, in order to draw him from their brood. The male 

 generally begins this manoeuvre, while the female leads ofi' the little 

 chicks ; but should he not succeed, she will p«rform the same tricks 



