222 THE BOOK OF MIGRATORY BIRDS 



Ireland its favourite haunt in these islands while in 

 Scotland it is virtually unknown ; but there are other 

 species which pass as "rara avis" in Europe. All alike 

 are distinguished from grouse and partridge by their 

 entirely feathered heads, their straighter and more pointed 

 wings, and shorter tail. "Coturnix," the smallest of our 

 highly prized game-birds, measures seven to eight inches. 

 His upper parts are variegated with reddish-grey and 

 brownish-black, marked with white bands, of which there 

 are three on the head, the male having a dark brown and 

 the female a yellowish-grey throat. 



The name "quail" appears to come from the old French 

 "quaille," now written "caille," or in Italian "quaglia," 

 in German "wachtel," and in Danish "kwakkef." To my 

 mind, the suggestion that the origin of these names is 

 onomatopaeic, like "cuckoo," "curlew," "peewit," c., is 

 not worth serious consideration. Nor is its cry so 

 querulous as to suggest that "quail" comes from the 

 Anglo-Saxon "cwelan" or Danish "quelen," meaning to 

 lose heart or give way before difficulty or danger. 

 Although of most retiring habits during the breeding 

 season, our partridge in miniature is a strong-winged 

 migrant, with plenty of fat to subsist upon during priva- 

 tion, and a hot-blooded gamester ready to fight a round or 

 two with any other quail who interferes with his wooing. 

 In the corn crops he is an artful dodger, and only "quails" 

 at the sound of an unexpected footstep which denotes the 

 nearness, say, of some crack shot. 



Our stock of information about Coturnix communis is 

 rather meagre. We know him as a summer visitant from 

 the arid parts of Africa, from the far Soudan, and the 

 hinterland of Algeria. In Palestine enormous flocks of 

 migrants arrive during March and April nights, and 

 literally blacken or brown over the land, these being 

 the same species which were brought to the camp of the 

 Israelites. Long ago the common quail was dedicated to 

 the Egyptian goddess of fertility, Astarte. He is known 

 in India, China, Greece, Italy, Germany, France, and 



