206 HABIT OF FEEDING. 



chirping notes are heard the whole day long ; these "birds 

 prefer light sandy soils, and invariably build on the ground 

 in fields of corn ; at least I have never met with a nest in 

 any other situation. Those I found were placed in a slight 

 hollow, were something similar to the nest of the Skylark, 

 but rather more compact, the interior lined with fine grass 

 and a few hairs. The eggs are from four to six in number, 

 blueish white, speckled and spotted with black. These birds 

 retire southwards early, few being seen after the end of 

 August. They at that time are taken in great numbers in 

 nets, with decoy-birds, and fattened for table.' Mr. Gould 

 says that ' when thus caught they are kept in a dark room 

 and there fed with plenty of oats and millet-seed, upon which 

 they quickly fatten.' Booth, in his < Analytical Dictionary,' 

 says : ' These birds are fed up till they become lumps 

 of fat of three ounces in weight, some of which are potted 

 or otherwise preserved, and exported to other countries.' 



This bird feeds on insects during the early part of the 

 season, and on grain and seeds when they have ripened. 

 A gourmand will take an Ortolan by the legs and crush it 

 in delicious mouthfuls, so as absolutely to lose none of it. 

 More delicate feeders cut the bird into quarters, and lay 

 aside the gizzard, which is somewhat hard ; the rest may 

 be eaten even to the bones, which are sufficiently tender 

 for the most delicate mouths to masticate without incon- 

 venience. In an interesting account of this bird, given in 

 1 The Illustrated News ' some years since, it is stated that 

 in Italy, where the bird is kept for gastronomic purposes, 

 it is fed l in a dark room.' A correspondent says : 



This is true only to a certain extent, and is apt to mislead many 

 of your readers. The fact is that the Ortolan has a peculiar habit 

 of feeding, which is opposed to its rapid fattening ; it feeds only at 

 the rising of the sun. To surmount this peculiarity, those who 

 pander to the taste of Italian gourmands place the Ortolans in 

 a warm chamber, perfectly dark, with only one aperture in the wall. 

 Their food is scattered over the floor of the chamber. In the 

 morning the keeper of the birds places a lantern in the orifice 

 of the wall; by the light thus thrown in, the Ortolans, thinking the 

 sun is about to rise, greedily consume the food upon the floor. 

 More food is scattered about, and the lantern withdrawn. The 

 Ortolans soon fall asleep. In about two hours the whole process is 



