NEW SOUTH WALES 95 



DISTRIBUTION OF QUAIL 

 (Plate 3, Fig. 93) 



The true Quail of the Commonwealth is the 

 Stubble Quail (Coturnix pectoralis). It is a grass 

 loving bird, and is local in its habit as long as the 

 food supply is present. Should a plague of mice 

 or caterpillars come along they get the seed and 

 the quail moves away. Thus we get an ever- 

 changing position. If a Central Australian drought 

 rages the birds move southward in a great mass 

 to the Murray River swamps, c 1 . 



Other quails are the Painted and Brown. The 

 Brown species "a," (map 39) is variable in different 

 swamps, and is the swiftest flier of the quails. 



The island form of "a" is b, and it is a paler 

 bird. Because it is so constant in its colour it is 

 thought to be a species. 



The King Quail "d," map 39, has more colour 

 than our other quails and it is more broadly dis- 

 tributed. It is said to be the smallest known game 

 bird, and keeps to swampy ground. 



The Painted Quail "c" has no hind toe. The call 

 is a once repeated coo before rising from the heath 

 in a wavy flight. 



The Plain Wanderer with a spotted ring upon 

 its neck keeps to the area "e," occasionally nest- 

 ing as far south as the plains just west of 

 Melbourne. 



