PARTRIDGE. 193 



generally a week later than the Pheasant, and com- 

 mencing the middle of April. Sometimes two females 

 will lay in the same nest, and as many as twenty-three 

 yomig have been hatched together. 



GENUS COTURNIX. 



QUAIL. 



CoTURNix COMMUNIS, Boiiiiaterre. 



Once a common summer visitor, the Quail has, within 

 but a few years, become exceedingly scarce, and indeed, 

 for the last three or four seasons, hardly a single bird 

 has been seen. Except one example in September, 

 1884, it has not been noticed at St. Michael's-on-Wyre 

 since 1874, in 1878 it disappeared from Tarleton Moss, 

 and from many other localities in the Fylde and neigh- 

 bouring districts, where a little while ago it was 

 common, I have it reported as absent almost altogether, 

 A general diminution in its numbers has, no doubt, 

 been going on for a long time. Dr. Leigh (" Nat. Hist. 

 Lane, &c.," 1700) avers that it was common in his 

 day, and the late Rev. J. D. Banister, writing in his 

 journal (which, owmg to the kindness of his son, the 

 Rev. E. D. Banister, I have had an opportunity of 

 perusing), under date December 9th, 1836, says, "I 

 saw a fine Quail on the edge of Pilling Moss. Do they 

 migrate? It is stated here by persons that formerly 

 they were as numerous as Larks, but were destroyed by 

 a very severe frost about sixty or seventy years ago and 

 were never plentiful since." At St. Michael's-on-Wyre 

 a careful record has been kept since 18G5 by Mr. Hugh 

 P. Hornby of the Quails shot there in autumn, and 



o 



