364 THE COMPLETE SHOT 



this migrant is not to be confused with the non-migratory 

 " Virginian Colin," " Bob-white," or more truly partridge, the 

 scientific name of which is Ortyx virginianus. 



Quail are beautiful birds to shoot over dogs, and although 

 they will not drive, the shooting of them over dogs can be 

 indulged without doing any injury to partridge driving. 



THE LANDRAIL 



There is no better bird for the table than the landrail, but 

 he is hardly a sporting bird. His flight is very slow, but he is 

 sometimes missed by quick shots who have been shooting rapid 

 rising partridges and ^shoot too quickly at these slow flying 

 birds. The landrail has from 7 to 10 eggs, breeds successfully 

 in insect-breeding seasons, and has been shot in large numbers 

 in a single field. A little more than a quarter of a century ago, 

 Mr. Farrer, Mr. C. W. Digby, and Alex. M. Luckham shot 24^ 

 or 25! couple of landrail in a field of clover-heads at the end of 

 Nine Barrow Down, Purbeck ; and in 1905 there were 26^ couple 

 killed in the day about two miles west of this field. Sparrow 

 hawks used to be trained especially for taking landrails, as 

 mentioned in Chafin's History of Cranbourne Chace, dated 1818. 

 In 1880 there were 211 landrails shot at Acryse Park, Folke- 

 stone, and 35 birds in one day by two guns in two clover-fields. 

 The landrail, or corncrake, is known as Crex pratensis. 



TEAL 



The teal breeds freely in this country, and only requires to 

 be less often shot in the early days of the shooting season to 

 multiply rapidly. In those early days it affbrds no sport, but 

 becomes a wonderful flyer when full feathered. It has from 

 8 to 15 eggs. No captured teal can be made use of for 

 breeding, but their eggs are easily dealt with, just as those of 

 the wild duck are treated. It is possible to introduce teal to a 

 new place by placing their eggs in the nests of moorhens. 

 The scientific name of the common teal is Querquedula crecca. 



