COMMON QUATL. 419 



and in this opinion I coincide, as the great changes of 

 temperature in India do not influence the movements of 

 this species, food being abundant at all seasons. 



I am not aware that this bird is used for combats 

 (although a species with tubercles is) in India ; and it is 

 not likely the people would warm their hands with it, 

 as is said to be the case in China. 



From some experience I consider Quails very heating 

 food ; and it is probable the French proverb, " hot as a 

 Quail," may apply rather to its stimulating properties than 

 to its animal heat. 



The adult male has the beak brownish grey ; the irides 

 hazel ; top of the head dark brown, with a pale wood-brown 

 streak from the base of the beak on each side over the eye 

 and the ear-coverts, and a narrow streak of the same colour 

 over the crown of the head to the nape of the neck ; the 

 plumage of the back, wings, rump, and tail, brown, with 

 lighter-coloured shafts and longitudinal streaks of wood- 

 brown ; wing-primaries dusky brown, mottled with light 

 brown ; chin and throat white, bounded by two half- 

 circular dark brown bands descending from the ear-coverts, 

 and with a black patch at the bottom in front ; breast 

 pale chestnut brown, with the shafts of the feathers straw 

 colour ; lower part of the breast, the belly, vent, and 

 under tail-coverts, yellowish white ; the flanks streaked 

 with pale chestnut ; legs, toes, and claws, pale brown. 



The whole length is seven inches. The wing from the 

 carpal joint to the end, four inches and a half: the first 

 feather a very little longer than the third, but a little 

 shorter than the second, which is the longest in the wing ; 

 the form of the wing is therefore pointed. 



The female has no dark half-circular marks descending 

 down the sides of the neck, nor the black patch in front ; 

 but the feathers on her breast are strongly marked with 



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