QUAILS IX RUSSIA. 171 



quails are very numerous, so much so, that a Frenchman 

 writing on the field sports of Spain, exclaims, " Touj(Jur.s 

 des cailles ! " however this gentleman has formed an er- 

 roneous opinion of the game in these provinces, for you 

 find there hares, red-legged partridges, the bustard, and 

 in the winter excellent woodcock and snipe shooting. 

 The Wallachian gipsies about Bucharest, before the war 

 with Russia, paid a tribute to the Porte in quails, which 

 birds were taken by them in great numbers by means of 

 sparrow hawks. The hawks were caught in nets prob- 

 ably whilst migrating, trained for the purpose, and again 

 turned loose as soon as the requisite number of quails 

 had been taken. 



Lanuiiiil or Coencrake. 



This bu'd has been supposed to be the same as the 

 waterrail. This Ls an erroneous opinion, from an idea 

 that it is only a change of colour in the plumage at a 

 certain period. This error proceeds from not sufficiently 

 considering the character and nature of each, which are 

 totally different. The length of the landrail is nine 

 inches ; the bill is one inch long, strong and thick, and 

 of a greyish brown, formed like that of the water 

 hen : the eyes hazel ; the feathers on the upper parts of 

 a rufous brown ; each marked down the middle with 

 black ; the under parts the same, but paler, and edged 

 with a pale rust colour ; chin very pale ; both wing 

 coverts and quills of a lightish chesnut ; the fore part 

 of the neck and breast is of a pale ash colour ; a streak 

 of the same coloiu- extends over each eye, from the bill 

 to the side of the neck ; the belly is of a yellowish white ; 

 the sides, thighs, and vent are faintly marked with rusty 



