482 



NATURAL HISTORY. 



This habit in itself is of but slight importance, but it is associated with so 

 many structural features as to render the division a perfectly valid and 

 natural one. It embraces between three and four hundred species. 



First comes the group of Old-World quails of which the common migra- 

 tory European species is best known. It is a small bird, only twice as 

 large as the figure. It travels in large flocks when on its migrations, and 

 as is the case with many other birds, its journeys are made at night. Sev- 



Fig. 40G. — European quail {Cotumix dactylisonans). 



eral times the attempt has been made to introduce this valuable game-bird 

 into America, and many hundreds have been turned loose, but the result 

 lias not been very successful. 



The true partridges are also European and Asiatic, and differ consider- 

 ably from the forms which we call by the same name. Some of these 

 forms are very abundant, and furnish fine sport for the hunter; but an 

 enumeration of them in the space which we can afford would prove but 

 little more than a catalogue of names. One or two, however, deserve 

 mention. Among these are the red-legged partridges, celebrated not so 



