558 



Crotfttrg 0f Natural 



smaller, has a more delicate beak, and no 

 spur on the legs. It is about seven inches 

 and a half in length. Bill dusky, eyes hazel: 

 the feathers of the head, neck, and back are 

 a mixture of brown, ash, and black ; the 

 hinder part of the neck and crown of the 

 head are divided by a long pale yellow line ; 

 the chin and throat are white, bounded by a 

 black crescent, which is deepest in front ; 

 the breast is of a yellowish-red, spotted with 

 black ; the scapular feathers are marked by 

 a light yellowish streak down the middle of 

 each ; quills lightish brown, with small rust- 

 coloured bands on the exterior edges of the 

 feathers ; the breast is pale rusty, spotted 

 with black, and streaked with pale yellow ; 

 the tail barred like the wings ; belly and 

 thighs yellowish white ; legs pale brown. 

 The female's plumage is less vivid, and the 

 wing-coverts are barred with yellowish 

 white. She lays from eight to a dozen eggs, 

 of a yellowish colour, with dusky spots and 

 blotches. 



Quails are very generally diffused through- 

 out Asia, Africa, and the southern parts of 

 Europe, but are more rare in northern and 

 temperate climates. In the British islands 

 they are never abundant. They are mi- 

 gratory, and are seen in immense flocks 

 flying across the Mediterranean, from Europe 

 to the shores of Africa, in the autumn, and 

 returning again in the spring, frequently 

 alighting in their passage on the intervening 

 islands. Such prodigious numbers have ap- 

 peared on the western coasts of the kingdom 

 of Naples, that a hundred thousand have 

 been taken in a day within the space of four 

 or five miles. From these circumstances 

 (observes Bewick) it appears highly probable 

 that the Quails which supplied the Israelites 

 with food, during their journey through the 

 wilderness, were driven thither on their pas- 

 sage to the north, by a wind from the south- 

 west, sweeping over Ethiopia and Egypt 

 towards the shores of the Red Sea. Quails 

 are said to be very indolent birds ; they 

 usually sleep through great part of the day, 

 concealed among the high grass, lying on 

 their sides, with their legs extended, and 

 should a dog approach, he must absolutely 

 run in upon them before they are flushed. 

 The males are birds of great courage, and 

 their quarrels frequently terminate in mu- 

 tual destruction. Quail-fighting was prac- 

 tised by the Greeks and Romans ; and we 

 are informed that Agustus punished a prefect 

 of Egypt with death, for bringing to his 

 table one of these birds which had acquired 

 celebrity by its victories ! The Chinese are 

 much addicted to the sport; and it is said 

 to be also a common practice in some parts 

 of Italy. 



The CHINESE QUAIL (Coturnix excaJfac- 

 toria) is an elegant little species, measuring 

 only four inches in length. The male has 

 a triangular deep black spot on the throat : 

 from the base of the beak extends a white 

 whisker, surrounded by black ; below which 

 is a pure white gorget, bordered with black : 

 the forehead, breast, and sides are of a lead 

 colour, the latter marked with black bands : 

 the middle of the belly, the thighs, and the 



abdomen are red chestnut ; the upper parts 

 of the body and the tail-coverts are a gray- 

 ish-brown, varied with black spots ; and 

 most of the feathers have whitish shafts : the 

 wings are gray-brown, the greater coverts 

 lead colour, and the whole tipped and fringed 

 with chestnut : the beak is black ; the feet 

 and the claws are yellow. In the female, 

 the cheeks, the forehead, and a stripe above 

 the eyes, are of a bright red ; the throat 

 pure white ; the feathers of the head are 

 dusky, tipped with gray ; and a narrow 

 longitudinal band extends over the middle 

 of the crown from the forehead. The plu- 

 mage of the back and rump is red, with 

 black spots, and longitudinal reddish-white 

 dashes : the scapulars and wing-coverts are 

 gray-brown, marked with delicate black 

 undulated lines, and many black spots on 

 their inner webs ; the breast, sides, thighs, 

 and abdomen, are bright gray, striped trans- 

 versely with black ; the wings gray-brown ; 

 the beak brown ; and the legs yellow. This 

 bird is abundant in the Manilla and Philip- 

 pine Islands, and in China it is amazingly 

 numerous. There they are kept in cages, 

 for the singular purpose of warming the 

 hands of their owners in winter: they also 

 rear them for the purpose of fighting. 



Several other species, in appearance and 

 habits not greatly differing from the common 

 Quail, are known ; as the New Holland 

 Quail (Coturnix Australia) ; the White- 

 throated Quail (.Coturnix torquato), &c. 



QUERQUEDULA, or TEAL. A genus 

 of web-footed birds, containing the COMMON 

 TEAL (Querquedula crecca), the GARGANEY 

 (Q. circia), and other species. [See DUCK : 

 TEAL.] 



QUISCAT/US. A genus of birds allied 

 to the Starlings, and indigenous to Ame- 

 rica. Of these we may particularly describe 

 the QUISCALUS VERSICOLOK, or PUHPLK 

 GKACKLE. We are told by Wilson that 

 this "noted depredator" is'wcll known to 

 every careful farmer of the northern and 

 middle states. About the 20th of March (he 

 says) the Purple Crackles visit Pennsylvania 

 from the south, fly in loose flocks, frequent 

 swamps and meadows and follow in the 

 furrows after the plough ; their food at this 

 season consisting of worms, grubs, and cater- 



pillars, of which they destroy prodigious 

 numbers, as if to recompense the husband- 

 man beforehand for the havoc they intend 

 to make among his crops of Indian corn. 

 Towards evening they retire to the nearest 

 cedars and pine trees to roost, making a 

 continued chattering as they fly along. On 

 the tallest of these trees they generally build 



