PHASIANIDM— QUAIL. 221 



ever killed anything durino' the whole season, but he was very fond of taking a 

 stroll with his gun. One day he was passing near a grove through which a ride 

 had been cut. A covey of seven birds rose just before him, and went strai<:'ht 

 down the ride. The old gentleman fired after them down the ride and killed all 

 seven. This was a great boast for him, and a great joke for all his friends for the 

 rest of his life. 



" But it was in this same neighbourhood that I saw the two most remarkable 

 shots made in one day that have ever come under my observation. I was out with 

 Mr. Gayton and his friend Dr. H., both very good shots. In the early part of the 

 day, four birds rose close to a hedge in front of Mr. H. They rose together, but 

 flew two and two as they topped the hedge. Mr. H. killed them all four, two with 

 his first barrel and two with his second, picking out the time of their crossing. 

 We went on and had a good day's shooting, and towards evening were returning 

 by the same hedge where Mr. H. had killed his four birds, when, almost at the 

 same spot four birds rose before Mr. Gayton, going over the hedge in exactly the 

 same manner, and Mr. Gayton served them exactly in the same way, killing two, 

 while crossing, with his first barrel, and two with his second. Here there was no 

 firing ' into the brown ' of a covey : only four birds rose each time, and four were 

 killed by deliberate calculation, two and two each time." 



In the Walden Museum is a variety obtained at Radwinter many years ago. 

 It is in very light plumage, the feathers on the breast being of a creamy-white with 

 scarcely a trace of ash-colour. A white one was shot in Essex on Oct. 2nd, 1886 

 (29. Oct. 9), after having been seen about for several months. Mr. Scruby 

 preserved a beautiful pied specimen shot by Mr. J. Milbank,at Leaden Roothing, 

 on Nov. 3rd, 1869 (29. Nov. 20). 



Quail : Cotiirnix communis. 



Not a rare bird, though very sparingly distributed, never abundant, 

 and much less so than formerly. It occurs from time to time, and 

 has also bred, in most parts of tlie county, but can never be counted 

 upon to do so regularly. 



Pennant, in his British Zoology (4th ed., 1776, p. 277), says : — 



"A gentleman, to whom this work lies under great obligations for his frequent 

 assistance, has assured us that these birds migrate out of the neighbouring inland 

 counties into the Hundreds of Essex in October, and continue there all the winter. 

 If frost or snow drive them out of the stubble-fields and marshes, they retreat to 

 the sea-side, shelter themselves among the weeds, and live upon what they can 

 pick up from the algae, &c., between high and low water-mark. Our friend re- 

 marks that the time of their appearance in Essex coincides with that of their 

 leaving the inland counties. The same observation has been made in Hampshire." 



Daniel, alluding to these statements in 1802, says (6. ii. 453), " However 

 genuine this account is of the Quail's abode in the Hundreds of Essex formerly, 

 there is good ground for discrediting the existence of the circumstance at present." 

 In this he is certainly correct. Pennant must have been completely misinformed. 



Mr. G. W. Johnson, in his History of Great Totham (183 1. p. 8), says : " The 

 Quail was formerly found in this and other parts of Essex, but its occurrence now 

 is very rare." The Rev. R. Sheppard seems to have met with it occasionally at 

 Wrabness, as he notes its arrival there (see p. 42) on Apr. 2nd in 1819, and on 

 Apr. 7th in 1822. Parsons shot one at Shoebury on Jan. loth, 1827 (8). Mr. 

 Hill met with it near Southminster about 1832 (12, iv. 452). J. C, of Witham, 

 met with a nest containing ten eggs in a clover-field on Aug. 12th, 1833. He says 

 " the bird is rather an uncommon one in this part of the county " (12. viii. 517). 

 Edward Jesse, writing in 1844, says (^Scenes and Tales of Country Life, p. 267), 

 " In one district in Essex, numerous eggs have been found during the mowing 



