THE PARTRIDGE AND QUAIL. 307 



Wherever a dusty place occurs in their haunts the birds 

 frequent it, generally in the middle of the day, when the 

 sun shines the hottest. There you may see them flutter- 

 ing and rolling in the dust, and cleansing their feathers 

 with their beak and claws. When finished, they either 

 betake themselves to the feeding grounds or run into the 

 dense herbage. 



The food of the Partridge in the earlier months of the 

 year is composed of the tender shoots of herbage ; it also 

 feeds on the newly sown oats and other grain. As the 

 year passes on this fare is varied by insects, beetles, and 

 grubs. When the young are newly hatched, and ant-hills 

 are near, the old birds lead their young to them, to feed 

 on the eggs. In the autumn months the stubbles are 

 visited for the grain and tender shoots of clover ; black- 

 berries growing round the hedges are also eaten in 

 considerable numbers, as are also many kinds of small 

 seeds. 



The Quail is a much smaller bird than the Partridge, 

 being somewhere about the size of a Lark, but it closely 

 resembles it in its general form, although its plumage is 

 differently coloured, and its habits are widely different. 

 Quails are migratory birds, arriving in the spring and 

 leaving us again in the autumn : they frequent the same 

 localities as the Partridge, but show a decided preference 

 for the fields of groiving corn. At eventide, or early in 

 the morning, their shrill piping calls are heard, although 

 the birds are seldom seen. In the vernal season combats 

 are of frequent occurrence between rival males. 



Unlike the Partridge, the Quail does not pair, but 

 one male lives in the company of several females until 

 the eggs are deposited, when he quits their company, like 

 all polygamous birds, and leaves the females to rear their 

 broods unaided. The cavity, for it scarcely deserves the 



