280 
6. 
COMMON 
QUAIL. 
PAR TORI DY GE. 
firft year, fome marks of it begin to appear, gradually increafing, 
till it is nearly as confpicuous as in the male; hence it is no un- 
common thing to hear fportfmen affirm their having killed or taken 
{everal male birds together, led no doubt to this fuppofition from ex- 
ternal appearance only. I have been informed by Colonel Montagu, 
that having killed nine old birds at the end of September, which ap- 
peared all to be males, he had the curiofity to open them, when 
four of them proved to be females: and this gentlernan farther ob- 
ferved to me, that the fexes were without much difficulty diftin- 
guifhed by their head, that of the Female being paler, particularly 
about the bill and ears, and that the major part of fuch birds as have 
the horfe-fhoe mark on the breaft lefs bright, are more likely to turn 
out females. 
Perdix coturnix, Ind. Orn. ii. p. 651. 28.—Gerin. Orn. iii. pl. 243. 244. 
Common Quail, Gen. Syz. iv. p. 779.—Jd. Supp. p. 222. 
E are told that no country has more quails than the Crimea* 5 
thefe birds during the fine weather are difperfed, but affemble 
at the approach of autumn, to crofs the Black Sea, over to the 
fouthern coafts, whence they afterwards tranfport themfelves into a 
hotter climate; the order of this emigration is invariable: towards the 
end of Auguft, the quails in a body chufe one of thofe ferene days, 
when the wind blowing from the north at fun-fet, promifes them a 
fine night; they then repair to the ftrand, take their departure at fix 
or feven in the evening, and have finifhed a journey of fifty leagues 
by break -of day. Nets are fpread on the oppofite fhore, and the 
bird-catchers waiting for their arrival, take tithe of the emigrants, 
_ 2 Memoirs of the Baron ae Torte 
being 
