THE QUAIL. 477 



spring in capturing those males which have been heard to utter 

 a good note, which consists in repeating the syllables Pikvervik ' 

 from seven to a dozen times. If they have not been previously 

 frightened by an unskilful fowler, these birds usually rush blindly 

 into the net. The chief requisite for the sport is a good call, 

 which is made of leather, with a pipe formed of the leg bone of 

 a cat, hare, or Stork, and may be purchased for a trifle. 



The mode of procedure is the following. As soon as the fowler 

 hears the note of the bird which he wishes to possess, he advances 

 to within fifty paces of the spot, sets his net in the corn, close and 

 well fastened to the ground, and then retires to a little distance. 

 When the Quail again calls, he answers two or three times, 

 taking care to answer the bird immediately as the females do, 

 and not to call too often or make false notes ; for if the male 

 suspects any deceit, he will at once become silent, and probably 

 be very cautious throughout the season. If all go well, however, 

 the Quail rushes direct to the spot where he hears the call, and 

 is caught in the intervening net. His course is indeed so straight, 

 that if he should creep under the net, he will come near enough 

 to the fowler to be taken with the hand. Should the Quail, 

 however, miss the net, the best plan is to proceed to the other 

 side and call again ; when the second attempt will probably be 

 successful. Some birds, if the net be too loose and therefore 

 visible, will make a circuit round it, and it is therefore advisable 

 to make a loose corner at each end, in which the Quail will en- 

 tangle itself. This method only succeeds in dry weather. When 

 it rains, or the dew is on the ground, the Quails fly to the call. 

 On a favourable day in the pairing season, three or four birds 

 may often be caught in the same field. 



If no male be heard in the field, the bird-catcher takes a call 

 about twice the size of the one above mentioned, and conse- 

 quently audible to a greater distance. By imitating the cry of the 

 female on this instrument he will at once discover if there be any 

 males in the neighbourhood, and is enabled to set his net as be- 

 fore described. 



If the object be to catch females as well as males, the sport is 

 most successful in autumn, when the corn is only partially cut, and 

 the patches still left standing harbour numbers of these birds. 

 Six or eight nets are necessary for the purpose, which are to be 

 set obliquely across the field, at a short distance from, and parallel 

 to each other. By means of a line, to which small bells are 

 suspended by threads, two persons may drive all the Quails in the 

 field into the nets ; and great numbers, both of males and females, 

 may be procured either for the aviary or table. In August and 

 September the young birds may easily be caught in the fields 



