THE QUAIL 145 



quail across France from Africa to England, on the 

 ground that it was prejudicial to the interests of that 

 body of sportsmen. Acting on this, the Minister was in 

 due course authorized by the Cabinet to prohibit the 

 transit of live quail across France. This prohibition has 

 not had the effect of stopping the traffic, for the birds 

 have since been sent by other routes. In the spring of 

 1899 the Cunard steamer Tyria arrived in the Mersey 

 with a number of crates containing no less than 30,000 

 live quail, which had been caught in Egypt and 

 consigned to the London market from Alexandria. 

 This consignment was under the charge of two 

 Egyptians, and complete arrangements had been made 

 for feeding the birds during their lengthy voyage. 



It appears that the systematic fattening of quail for 

 the market is followed even in this country, thousands 

 of live quail on arriving here being taken to " farms " 

 round London and there fed up until they are sufficently 

 plump to be placed on the market. We hear of the 

 cramming of poultry by various means, mechanical or 

 otherwise, but, according to one of the London evening 

 papers, a more ingenious and scientific method has been 

 discovered for insuring the hasty fattening of quail for 

 the market. Quail, like other well-ordered birds, are 

 most regular in their habits, and feed directly they wake 

 up in the morning. Profiting by this knowledge the 

 quail-fattener places his little game-birds in a cellar 

 lighted only by electric light. In the dark the quail go 

 to sleep, but directly the light is switched on they wake 

 up and breakfast. This process is repeated time after 

 time, and the deluded birds, always labouring under the 

 impression that morning has arrived once more, keep 

 waking up and breakfasting over and over again. 



