VIRGINIAN COLIN. 407 



in a marsh. Mr. Coke, I have understood, turned off 

 many of these birds at Holkham ; and there is reason to 

 believe, Mr. Gurney says, that the species still exists in 

 small numbers in the county. This made me suppose that 

 the eggs in question might belong to this bird, particularly 

 as a fenman near the place where this nest is said to have 

 been found, mentioned to me his having seen a bird like 

 a Partridge in flight, but much smaller. Mr. Salmon, of 

 Thetford, had some of these eggs ; and I think he told me 

 he showed them to Mr. Hewitson." 



On comparing the outline of one of these eggs with three 

 specimens of the eggs of Ortyx Virginiana in my own 

 collection, received from America, the accordance was so 

 exact as to leave no doubt that they belonged to the same 

 species ; and lastly, I may add that a few years back 

 Mr. Leadbeater received three or four freshly-killed speci- 

 mens, with directions to mount them together in one case. 

 These birds had been shot in Kent, were in beautiful 

 plumage, and when preserved formed a very interesting 

 group. 



Since the publication of the first edition of this work, a 

 specimen of this Virginian Quail has been shot in North- 

 umberland, and was in the collection of Mr. J. Hancock, 

 of Newcastle-upon-Tyne ; and another was shot off a tree 

 near Bristol, as mentioned by Mr. Hewitson in the second 

 edition of his work on the Eggs of our British Birds. In 

 September, 1844, a couple were shot near Egham as they 

 rose from a pea-stubble. On the 29th of October, in the 

 same year, a pair were killed out of a small covey of seven 

 or eight, in a copse near Egham, by Wyatt Edgell, Esq. 

 This latter occurrence was communicated to me by G. R. 

 Marten, Esq., who very kindly allowed me an examina- 

 tion of the birds ; and in April of the year 1845, a 

 very fine old male was obtained between Weybridge and 



