110 BUSH WANDESI^'GS. 



quail in size and form, — a long loose-feathered bird, witli 

 pointed wings ; but it is much lighter in colour, and has 

 a kind of dark collar round the neck. Eespectiug this 

 bird, all I can say is, if it is a distinct species (which I 

 doubt), it must be very rare ; for, during five years' 

 shooting, I never met with a single specimen. 



Last and least on our list is the little Chinese or King^ 

 Quail, which, although small in size, for beauty of plumage 

 stands unrivalled among the game birds of Australia. 

 Scarcely so large as the common sparrow, a perfect 

 partridge in miniature, I think we may reckon it as the 

 smallest game bird in the world. The male is of a deep 

 velvet-black colour, with rich red chestnut and white 

 markings, and a dark crescent on the breast ; the female 

 and young birds are deep brown mottled, like the Euro- 

 pean grouse. It was not common in our districts, and I 

 generally found them in pairs or families (for they bred 

 with us, and, if they did not remain all the winter, they 

 left for a very short time), in the long grass on the edges 

 of the swamps, often in the wet swamps themselves, and 

 I have occasionally raised them in the heather. In some 

 seasons they appeared to be more common than in others. 

 It is a very local bird ; and one thing always puzzled me 

 in beating for game out here : there are certain localities 

 where you are almost certain to find birds ; while in other 

 places, precisely similar to all appearance, and apparently 

 just as well adapted to their habits, you never see a 

 bird. All the game in Australia appeal's to pack very 

 much. 



