TURNICIDJE. 241 



There are a great number of these resident Quails, which, 

 throughout the winter, seem to collect together and haunt certain 

 favourite spots, these places never being without them. You 

 may kill three or four and hunt about unable to find more ; but 

 go to the same place in a few days' time, and you will find that 

 some fresh ones have taken possession of the ground. 



In summer Quail are universally distributed all over the culti- 

 vated country ; in autumn the best place to shoot them is in the 

 maize-fields or, rather, stubbles. Vast quantities are caught in 

 the spring with small nets by the aid of the " Quail-call " (pitillo). 

 The birds begin to call their love-note about the 9th of March ; 

 after that time their " quit que-twit " is to be heard on every side 

 as long as the nesting-season lasts. They commence to lay in 

 May ; and I have known of a nest with eleven eggs taken as late 

 as the 17th October. 



General colour buff, marked much as Partridge above. 



Male. Chin and throat blackish. 



Female. Chin and throat buff ; larger than male. Length 7 inches. 



Order HEMIPODII. Family TURNICIDJB. 



267. Turnix sylvatica (Desfontaines) . The Andalucian Bush- 

 Quail or Three-toed Quail. 



Moorish. Zerquil (Favier). Spanish. Torillo. 



" This little Quail is both resident and migratory in the vicinity 

 of Tangier, and is a much less common bird than the ordinary 

 Quail; those which migrate pass northwards during May and 

 June, and are seen on the return passage in September and 

 October. They nest in July, depositing four eggs in any slight 

 depression of the ground, often among corn. The young, from 

 the moment of exclusion, are attended by both male and female 

 all remaining together in parties for some time, in the same 

 manner as Quails. I kept a female bird in captivity for about 

 thirteen months, feeding it on millet and water. This bird was 



E 



