314 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



the variety of birds to be met with on their vernal 



migration to some extent repay a sportsman of an 



ornithological turn of mind. On the mainland of 



Epirns in August and September, fair Quail shooting 



may often be had in the cultivated lands, and in the 



latter month the sport may be varied with a few 



Great and Common Snipes, an odd Duck or two, and 



the walking, though generally more or less " soft," is 



comparatively easy. In the cultivated plains around 



and below Seville vast numbers of Quails are bred, 



and some are to be found at all times of the year, 



though their numbers are much thinned in the 



pairing-season by a clever method of calling up the 



birds into a net. This bird is a great favourite in 



Spain, and in every village street Quails are to be 



found in cages, petted and made much of on account 



of their song. Incredible numbers of this species 



are netted during the vernal migration on many parts 



of the Mediterranean shores, especially in Egypt and 



the southern provinces of Italy. We remember 



seeing a steamer at Messina, in the month of May 



1874, one of whose officers assured us that she had 



six thousand pairs of Quails alive on board, all 



destined for the London market. The unhappy 



birds are carried in low flat cages or boxes wired 



only in front, and it is surprising what a very small 



percentage of them die on the voyage unless " a sea " 



happens to break over them ; they thrive well on 



millet and soon become fat ; but in our opinion this 



traffic should be prohibited, as the unfortunate birds 



are caught on their way to their breeding-quarters, 



and some of them, at all events, would afford sport at 



a legitimate season when naturally fit for the table. 



Quails will thrive for many years in confinement if 



