QUAIL. 



means you may either take her as she flies out of the 

 tree, or blow up the whole concern by firing through 

 the nest. 



This is a more certain, and a much less cruel way 

 to destroy mischievous birds than by indiscriminately 

 shooting, or catching, them at a distance from their 

 nests ; where, perhaps, their young ones, having been 

 hatched, are left to be starved with hunger. 



Ravens, carrion-crows, magpies, &c., may be killed 

 in the same manner, or poisoned previously to the 

 breeding season, by your putting in some of their 

 favourite trees a few joints of horseflesh, well seasoned 

 with arsenic arid -HUP vomica. Another good way to 

 kill these, particularly magpies, is to drive along the 

 road with a horse that will stand fire, and shoot them 

 from a cart, gig, or other carriage. I have known 

 eight or nine magpies killed in a day by this means 

 (about the pairing season), when the keepers were 

 constantly following them without being able to get 

 a shot. 



QUAIL. Tetrao coturnix Le cattle. 



There is no part of this country where we can go 

 regularly out for a day's quail shooting, as in France 

 (where these birds abound in the month of August), 

 or the more southern parts up the Mediterranean, 

 where they sometimes cover the country for miles. 

 The quails are so far plentiful on the left bank of 

 the Tagus, that many of the officers, indifferent 

 shots, while in winter quarters at Vallada, thought 



