PREFACE. XI 



for the last five years, has always laid bare nests of the quail in his 

 progress, or seen broods of young. This occurs generally in the middle 

 of June, though so late this year as about the 1st of July. He then 

 saw three or four nests or broods ; one of the latter being apparently 

 three weeks old. There was but little ground under meadow this 

 season, but when there has been from twenty-five to thirty acres, ten or 

 twelve nests would be observed. He considers the quail an early- 

 breeding bird.* 



The colours of the quail sometimes appear very striking when the 

 bird is about alighting near one with its back towards him. I have 

 seen the rich yellow and brown dorsal markings exhibited in straight 

 lines alternately down the back, giving it altogether a striped appear- 

 ance, which, though formal, looked singular and beautiful. 



At Mertoun, in the same district as Holywood House, a pointer dog 

 had to be kept chained this season on account of the service which he 

 was considered to render to an English terrier in killing quails. The 

 two sallied out together early in the morning, and when the former 

 " pointed " the quails, the terrier rushed before him to seize one. They 

 were casually observed to act thus in a clover field, though a capture 

 was not effected on that occasion ; the terrier was several times seen 

 with these birds after returning from such excursions. Quails often 

 lie so close that, doubtless, they could occasionally be thus taken. f 

 Several times when I have been walking on the borders of meadows, 

 my dog has picked up a land-rail as it ran close to my feet. 



* Mr. R. Ball has known quails' nests to be commonly exposed to view in the 

 south of Ireland during the mowing of grass and clover early in the summer. 



t Since the preceding matter was put in type, I have had the following confirma- 

 tion that the quail can be so captured, from Robert Taylor, Esq., of Belfast, who 

 resided some time at Corfu : — " One mode of taking quails, which I frequently 

 witnessed during the course of my walks through the fields of Corfu, I had never 

 read of, and struck me as very singular. A man, anned with a gun, and accompanied 

 by a peculiar-looking dog — a kind of lurcher — proceeded slowly through the field, 

 the dog keeping a few feet in advance, and carefully examining every bush and tuft 

 in which a bird could possibly find shelter. Generally the dog seized the quail while 



