26



N. Taka-Tsukasa — Quail Breeding in Japan



mixture are one part of fish-foocl to two parts of meal. When the

Japanese wish the birds to lay they put the cage under artificial light

for about two or three hours after dark. At the same time the proportion

of animal food is sometimes increased by nearly one-half, but according

to my experience that is rather too strong for many birds. Some people

also put the birds all night long under artificial light, but I think this

also is not necessary, for I find no better results from this method.


After the birds have been fed with an increased proportion of animal

food for about a week or two the male birds begin to sing and the

females to utter a cry, something like the cry of the barn-door hen when

she wishes to lay. Sometimes the female lays an egg without any

preliminary announcement. When the males begin to sing and the

females to utter the cry, they are mated every morning by setting the

cages side by side and opening the entrances. After this the females

lay their egg once every day. Another way of testing the female’s

readiness to lay is to place one’s hand on the top of the cage, when if

the females are broody they lie down on the floor of the cage and utter

a cry which resembles the scolding cry which a hen utters when sitting.

The females lay six to seven eggs in succession, then cease for a day or

two before beginning again. I think it is better to stop the laying after

the keeper has obtained from fifty to sixty eggs and rest the birds

three or four weeks. It is very surprising that the eggs have increased

from one-third to twice their size since Quail breeding was first favoured.

It is very easy to stop the birds from laying by removing the cages from

under the artificial light at night, and keeping the birds in the dark.

The birds left in the dark very soon begin to moult. During the moult

we feed the birds with seeds. It is very interesting to note that the

time of laying is an hour later every day, and that when the female

finishes she announces the fact by a few cheerful cries.


The cages are washed and cleaned every two or three days, and if

the climate is hot and wet every other day, because the cages are small

and the food juicy, and the Quails need dry ground to stand on, like

other game-birds. The egg of the Quail is as large as the first thumb-

joint, measuring about one inch in length, and its colour is a pale

yellowish olive, splashed with dark-brown markings, which are some¬

times large, sometimes small, sometimes dense, and sometimes sparse,



