104 THE QUAIL. 



Quail may be found round Tientsin, though they are not over 

 abundant. I believe the best place for them is behind the llussian 

 Concession. They; are fairly plentiful round Shan-hai-kuan, from, and, 

 beyond which place most o! the birds sold in the local markets come. 



As mentioned in my. paper on pheasants we found them very 

 plentiful last winter in Anhui, along the southern section of the 

 Tsiiig-pu line, which district is certainly the best quail ground I have 

 yet encountered. Here they may be found in the shallow valleys, and 

 also upon the low hills, though they seemed most plentiful in the long 

 grass immediately bordering on the streams. It was an almost in- 

 variable rule, that the birds were in pairs, one usually getting up after 

 its mate had been flushed and shot at. These birds were of a good 

 size and very plump. During the week that we were in the district 

 fifty quail were bagged, and it must be understood that we only shot 

 quail when there was nothing else in view. Dozens of birds were 

 allowed to go unmolested lest pheasants should be put up out of range. 

 Ten to fifteen brace could easily be bagged a day in this locality, if a 

 man were to give his attention to it. 



In shooting quail it should be remembered that their flight is very 

 much slower than it appears to be. Also their course is not erratic, 

 like that of the snipe, nor are they on the rise. After the first spring 

 into the air they keep pretty level, and if undisturbed will soon light 

 again. They should be allowed to get a fair distance before one pulls 

 on them, and if one is without a retriever, should be marked down at 

 once. Otherwise they are liable to be lost, their protective colouring 

 making them very difficult to find. 



A quail that has once risen is very hard to flush a second time 

 without a dog. This is due to the fact that they run as soon as they 

 light, and one is apt to beat about in the wrong direction. As a rule 

 it is as well not to waste time in such cases, but to walk straight on 

 till another bird gets up. 



In India the quail (bustard-quail) is chased on horse back. When 

 a bird gets up the riders pursue it at top speed. It out-distances them 

 and alights, but is soon put up again. Each time its flight is shortened 

 till at last it refuses to fly, when a careful search will reveal it crouch- 

 ing on the ground. It may then be taken by hand. 



Quails are charming little birds to have in an aviary, and very soon 

 become tame. Being ground birds they keep to the bottom of the cage 

 and do not interfere in any way with the other inmates. They are 

 very easy to keep. The Chinese use them for fighting,, pitting one cock 

 against another, and betting on the result. The birds display a 

 considerable degree of pugnacity in these encounters. 



