1 68 . OUR RARER BIRDS 



and the borders of woods for that purpose, especially in severe 

 weather. The flesh of this Partridge is not nearly so well 

 flavoured as that of the Common Partridge ; and the sport it 

 yields is very inferior. It is too restless a bird too fond of 

 running ; and the coveys break up when alarmed, and often 

 disturb the Common Partridge, which otherwise would have 

 laid close to the dogs. 



The Quail (Cotumix communis), though widely distributed 

 over the British Islands, is nowhere common, and therefore 

 demands a place among our rarer species. Unlike all our 

 other Game Birds, the Quail is a migrant, visiting this country 

 in spring and retiring southwards to Africa in autumn. The 

 Quail comes with the very last batch of migrants, arriving 

 here early in May, and leaves us again in September. The 

 migrations of the Quail are extremely interesting. This little 

 bird migrates chiefly by night, although I have met with it 

 crossing the Mediterranean during the day. Vast numbers 

 collect and journey in company, especially in autumn, and 

 many thousands are netted every year for food. The Quail in 

 this country is a skulking bird, and loves to frequent the fields 

 of growing corn and other herbage, rarely flying far, and only 

 betraying its whereabouts by its shrill whistling-note. In 

 the choice of its food and in many of its habits it does not 

 differ much from the Common Partridge. It flies quickly, 

 runs fast and skilfully through the herbage, lies close to the 

 ground at the approach of danger, is fond of dusting its 

 plumage, never perches in trees, and is most partial to dry 

 and sandy soils. In many cases the male pairs with one 

 female alone, but in others it is polygamous, each male con- 

 sorting with several females. It breeds late, the female 

 making her scanty nest amongst the corn, clover, or other 

 herbage in June. This nest is merely a hollow lined with a 

 few bits of dry grass and dead leaves. The eggs vary greatly 

 in number from eight to twenty ; but probably the largest 



