THE QUAIL. 219 



" Here 's Agamemnon, an honest fellow enough, and 

 one that loves quails." — Troilus and Cressida, Act v. Sc. 1. 



Even at the present day this sort of amusement is 

 common in some parts of Italy, and still more so in 

 China. In Italy, the practice is to feed up two quails 

 very highly, and then place them opposite to each other at 

 the end of a long table, throwing between them a few 

 grains of millet-seed to make them quarrel. At first they 

 merely threaten, lowering the head and ruffling all the neck 

 feathers, but at length they rush on furiously, striking with 

 their bills, erecting their heads, and rising upon their spurs, 

 until one is forced to yield. 



In Antony and Cleopatra (Act ii. Sc. 3), Antonius says of 

 Caesar : — 



" His cocks do win the battle still of mine, 

 When it is all to nought ; and his quails ever 

 Beat mine inhoop'd at odds." 



That there was some foundation for this assertion, we 

 may gather from the following extract from North's 

 " Plutarch " :— 



" With Antonius there was a soothsayer or astronomer 

 in Egypt that coulde cast a figure and judge of men's 

 nativities, to tell them what should happen to them. He 

 told Antonius plainly that his fortune (which of itself was 

 excellent good and very great) was altogether blemished 



