THE QUAIL. 



" found, on inquiry, that three thousand dozens 

 have been purchased of the dealers by the Lon- 

 don poulterers in one season." Most of these 

 birds are males, which arrive from the south 

 a few days before their partners, and are then 

 decoyed into the net of the fowler by a well- 

 imitated love note of the female. In Italy, 

 Sicily, and Malta, they are still more numerous. 

 As they fly by night, and generally close to the 

 shore, long nets stretched on poles and extended 

 over the edge of the water are used in capturing 

 them. One hundred thousand have been taken 

 in a single day on the western coast of the Nea- 

 politan territory. Great numbers are also killed, 

 not only by regular sportsmen in the field, but 

 by the motley population of the maritime vil- 

 lages on the Mediterranean, on the return of 

 these migratory flocks to their winter quarters 

 in Africa and Asia. 



Mr. Yarrell has shown very ingeniously and 

 satisfactorily, that there is every reason for be- 

 lieving that this the only migratory species of 

 quail was the identical bird alluded to by the 

 Psalmist, when it pleased the Almighty to furnish 

 an ample supply of food to the, famishing Israel- 

 ites in the Wilderness : " He caused an east wind 

 to blow in the heaven, and by His power He 

 brought in the south wind. He rained flesh also 



B5 



