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ORD. V. GEN. III. PARTRIDGE. 

 SPE. III. QJUAIL. 



PI. i 



39- 



Tetrao Coturnix. Lin. Syjl. I. p. 278. 

 La Caille. BriJ, Orn. I. p. 247. 



This fpecies is not half the fize of the common partridge, being in length 

 only feven inches and half, in breadth fourteen. The bill is of a dufky colour : 

 the feathers of the head are black edged with rufty brown ; the crown of the 

 head divided by a whitiih yellow line, beginning at the bill, and running along 

 the hind part of the neck to the back : above each eye is another line of the 

 fame colour : the chin and throat of a dirty white : the cheeks fpotted with 

 brown and white : the breaft of a pale yellowifh red, with a few flight black 

 fpots : the fcapular feathers and thofe on the back are marked in their middles 

 with a long pale yellow line, and on their fides with black and ruft coloured 

 bars : the coverts of the wings are reddifh brown, elegantly barred with paler 

 lines bounded on each fide with black: the exteriour fide of the firft quill fea- 

 thers is white, of the others dufky fpotted with red: the tail confifts of twelve 

 ihort feathers barred with black and very pale brownilh red : the legs of a pale 

 hue. 



The female is much like the male, but the colours more dull, and has few 

 or no black fpots on the fore part of the neck, breaft, and fides. 



Quails are birds of great fpirit, fo that in fome countries they are pitted to- 

 gether to fight, as game cocks are in England. They are migratory, fome 

 quitting us entirely in the winter, others only fhifting their quarters. Though 

 they breed with us, they are not very plentiful, and lay their eggs on the 

 ground in the manner of the partridge, but it is faid much fewer in number. 

 Fo r the egg, fee PI. XXXI. Fig. 3. 



