THE QUAIL. 



85 



The quail is by all known to be a bird of 

 passage; and yet if we consider its heavy 

 manner of flying, and its dearth of plumage, 

 with respect to its corpulence, we shall be 

 surprised how a bird so apparently ill quali- 

 fied for migration, should take such extensive 

 journeys. Nothing, however, is more cer- 

 tain : " When we sailed from Rhodes to 

 Alexandria," say Bellonius, " about autumn, 

 many quails, flying from the north to the 

 south, were taken in our ship ; and sailing at 

 spring-time, the contrary way, from the south 

 to the north, I observed them on their return, 

 when many of them were taken in the same 

 manner." This account is confirmed by 

 many others ; who aver, that they choose a 

 north wind for these adventures ; the south 

 wind being very unfavourable, as it retards 

 their flight, by moistening their plumage. 

 They then fly two by two ; continuing, when 



after during the flight like the passenger pigeons of 

 America, and a harvest is gathered when the numbers 

 are greatest. In Sicily, crowds of all ages and degrees 

 assemble on the shore. The number of boats is even 

 greater; and enviable is the lot of the idle apprentice, 

 who, with a borrowed musket or pistol, no matter how 

 unsafe, lias gained possession of the farthest rock, where 

 there is but room for himself and his dog, which he has 

 fed with bread only, all the year round, for these delight- 

 ful days, arid which sits in as happy expectation as him- 

 self for the arrival of the quails. Ortygia was named 

 from them ; and so abundant were they on Capri, an 

 island at the entrance of the Gulf of Naples, that they 

 formed the principal revenue of the bishop of the island. 

 From twelve to sixty thousand were annually taken ; 

 and one year the capture amounted to one hundred and 

 sixty thousand. In China, and in many of the eastern 

 islands, and Malacca, they are also very abundant, per- 

 forming regular migrations from the interior to the coast. 

 Here they are domesticated along with a small species 

 of Ortygis, and trained to fight. Large stakes are 

 risked upon the result, as in the cockpit. They are 

 also used by the Chinese to warm their hands in cold 

 weather, their bodies being thought to contain a large 

 proportion of animal heat, from the pugnacious disposi- 

 tion of their tempers. 



The common quail has the crown of the head and 

 back of the neck black, each feather margined with 

 chestnut ; and down the centre of the head and neck 

 there is a cream-yellow streak. Over each eye, and 

 proceeding down the neck, is a white streak: chin and 

 throat chestnut-brown, mixed with blackish-brown. 

 Back scapulars and wing-coverts black, the feathers 

 margined and varied with brown, and each having its 

 shaft and central parts sienna-yellow. The breast and 

 belly are pale buff or orange, the shafts and margins of 

 the feathers yellowish-white. Tail blackish-brown, 

 with the shafts, tips, arid base cream-yellow. In the 

 female there is no black or brown on the neck and throat. 

 Her breast is spotted with blackish-brown, and the 

 general tints of her plumage are paler. Pure white on 

 spotted varieties sometimes occur. Naturalist's Lib. 



roi. ir. 



their way lies over land, to go faster by night 

 than by day; and to fly very high, to avoid 

 being surprised or set upon by birds of prey. 

 However, it still remains a doubt whether 

 quails take such long journeys as Bellonius 

 has made them perform. It is now asserted 

 by some, that the quail only migrates from 

 one province of a country to another. For 

 instance, in England, they fly from the in- 

 land counties, to those bordering on the sea, 

 and continue there all the winter. If frost 

 or snow drive them out of the stubble-fields or 

 marshes, they then retreat to the sea-side, 

 shelter themselves among the weeds, and live 

 upon what is thrown up from the sea upon 

 shore. Particularly in Essex, the time of 

 their appearance upon the coasts of that coun- 

 try exactly coincides with their disappearance 

 from the more internal parts of the kingdom ; 

 so that what has been said of their long 

 flights, is probably not so well founded, as is 

 generally supposed. 



These birds are much less prolific than the 

 partridge ; seldom laying more than six or 

 seven whitish eggs, marked with ragged rush- 

 coloured spots. But their ardour in courtship 

 yields scarcely toanyotherbird, as they are fierce 

 and cruel at the season to each other, fighting 

 most desperately, and (a punishment they 

 richly deserve) being at that time very easily 

 taken. Quail-fighting was a favourite amuse- 

 ment among the Athenians : they abstained 

 from the flesh of this bird, deeming it un- 

 wholesome, as supposing that it fed upon the 

 white hellebore ; but they reared great num- 

 bers of them, for the pleasure of seeing them 

 fight ; and staked sums of money, as we do 

 with regard to cocks, upon the success of the 

 combat. Fashion, however, has at present 

 changed with regard to this bird ; we take no 

 pleasure in its courage, but its flesh is con- 

 sidered as a very great delicacy. 



Quails are easily caught by a call ; the 

 fowler, early in the morning, having spread his 

 net, hides himself under it among the corn ; 

 he then imitates the voice of the female with 

 his quail-pipe, which the cock hearing, ap- 

 proaches with the utmost assiduity; when he 

 has got under the net, the fowler then dis- 

 covers himself, and terrifies the quail, who 

 attempting to get away, entangles himself the 

 more in the net, and is taken. The quail 

 may thus very well serve to illustrate the old 

 adage, that every passion, carried to an inor- 

 dinate excess, will at last lead to ruin. (For 

 Welcome Quail, see Plate XVIII. fig. 16.) 



