46 THE QUAIL. 



mans, they were trained up to fight each other, and 

 sometimes large sums of money were foolishly bet on 

 the result of a battle between a pair of these poor lit- 

 tle birds. 



The Quail is twice mentioned in Scripture, and in 

 both instances, it is spoken of as being miraculously 

 sent to the children of Israel for food. 



The first instance occurred soon after they left Egypt, 

 and before any settled mode of supplying them with 

 food had been adopted. The people did not consider 

 this circumstance, nor did they rely on the goodness 

 of the Almighty, who had delivered them from the 

 bondage of the Egyptians, but complained bitterly, and 

 accused Moses and Aaron of bringing them into the 

 wilderness that they might perish with hunger. They 

 said, " Would to God we had died by the hand of the 

 Lord, in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh 

 pots, and when we did eat bread to the full ; for ye 

 have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill the 

 whole assembly with hunger," Exodus, chapter 16, 

 verse 3. 



Such murmurings might justly have drawn down 

 some terrible vengeance upon their heads ; for, having 

 in so many instances witnessed the mercy of the Al- 

 mighty towards them, it was their duty to trust in him 

 for their deliverance. But instead of punishment for 

 their sins, the Lord kindly bestowed on them, by a 

 miracle, what they did not deserve, an abundant sup- 

 ply of food. Moses was commanded to speak to them 

 and say, " At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morn- 

 ing ye shall be filled with bread ; and ye shall know 

 that I am the Lord your God : and it came to pass 



