COMMON QUAIL. 357 



very little inferior to that of the Landrail ; it is accordingly 

 very nincli in request, and in London in iiarticular, durino- the 

 season,— that is, from May to August, — the consumption is 

 large. I have found, on inquiry, that three thousand dozens 

 have been purchased of the dealers by the London Poulterers 

 in one season. 



Though very like a Partridge, except in size, and resem- 

 bling those birds also in several of their habits, Quails do 

 not pair. The males are polygamous, and have a shrill 

 whistling note which is generally repeated three times in 

 quick succession, and they are said to lose their voice when 

 the breeding-season is over, as they are not heard to exercise 

 their notes afterwards. The female scrapes out a small 

 cavity on the ground, into which she collects a few bits of 

 dry grass, straw, or clover stalks ; she lays from seven to 

 twelve eggs ; nesting among wheat generally, but sometimes 

 in a piece of clover or grass. The eggs are of a yellowish 

 or dull orange-coloured white, blotched or speckled with 

 umber brown ; one inch one line in length by eleven lines in 

 breadth. Upon these she sits about three weeks ; the young 

 are able to follow her soon after they are excluded from the 

 shell, and learn to feed on seeds, grain, insects, and green 

 leaves. Many are found and killed in wheat stubbles by 

 Partridge shooters in the month of September; they fly 

 quick, but generally straight and low, and are difficult to raise 

 a second time when they have been once flushed and alarmed. 

 The greater portion leave this country in October. 



An interesting account of our Quail is included by Co- 

 lonel Sykes in the paper wdiich has been already referred 

 to on " The Quails and Hemipodii of India," as published 

 in the second volume of the Transactions of the Zoological 

 Society of London, of which the following extract forms a 

 part. 



" I have carefully examined and compared specimens from 



