Family PHASIANID^. Genus Coturnix. 



Subfamily Perdicin^. 



QUAIL. 



COTURNIX COMMUNIS— ^w;w/«w. 



Geographical Distribution. — British. Summer visitor to 

 most parts of the British Islands, extending to the Outer 

 Hebrides, the Orkneys and Shetlands, but appears to be 

 nowhere common. A few winter in the south of England and 

 in Ireland, in which country the bird is said to be slowly 

 becoming extinct. Foreign : Palasarctic region, from Atlantic to 

 Pacific. The Quail is a summer visitor to Europe south of lat. 

 64°. It occurs throughout North Africa, Palestine, and Asia 

 Minor, but in the basin of the Mediterranean is chiefly known 

 on passage, although a few remain to breed and a few remain to 

 winter in that district ; whilst in the Azores and the Canaries it is 

 a resident. The majority of the West Palsearctic birds winter in 

 South Africa, from Damara Land and the Transvaal southwards 

 to the Cape Colony. Eastwards the Quail visits Persia, Afghanis- 

 tan, Turkestan (where a few remain to winter), Siberia, and the 

 north island of Japan in summer, wintering throughout India, 

 Burma, and China, south to the tropic of Cancer. 



Allied Forms. — The East Palsearctic Quails, owing to their 

 slightly smaller size, have been regarded by some naturalists as 

 distinct ; but the differences are not sufficiently worthy of even 

 subspecific rank. 



Time during which the Quail may be taken.— Septem- 

 ber 20th to January loth (Ireland); elsewhere, August ist to 

 March ist. 



Habits. — The Quail is a late bird of passage to the British 

 Islands, arriving in May amongst the last of our summer visitors. 

 The passage of this species from Africa across the Mediterranean 



