Birds of Britain 



than those of the Common Partridge. The note is a harsh 

 " clink, clink, clinkar," and the male assists the female in 

 rearing the young. 



They are not quite so gregarious as the preceding species, 

 and old males, except during the breeding season, frequently 

 lead a solitary existence. 



The sexes are alike in plumage, but the male has a blunt 

 spur. The throat and cheeks are white, bordered with black. 

 Sides of neck and breast grey, spotted with black. Crown 

 grey; stripe above the eye white. Eest of upper parts 

 warm rufous brown. Under parts fawn colour ; flanks grey, 

 boldly barred with black and chestnut. Bill and legs deep 

 coral red. 



The young are brown on the throat and breast. Length 

 13"5 in.; wing 622 in. 



THE QUAIL 



Coturnix communis, Bonnaterre 



This species is only a summer visitor to this country, 

 though examples have been known to spend the winter 

 with us. Never very abundant, it has of late years become 

 decidedly scarcer, and can now only be considered an un- 

 common and local bird. 



Delighting chiefly in dry, broken, uncultivated land, 

 it becomes scarcer in the north, but has been known to 

 nest as far north as Caithness. The nest is a " scrape " in 

 the grass, and the seven to twelve eggs are yellowish white 



282 



