PARTRIDGE. 313 



of the same, over each eye ; back and wings ferruginous brown, 

 varied with tawny and grey, and down the shaft of each a yellowish 

 streak; from chin to vent dirty yellowish white ; fore part of the 

 neck and breast pale rufous, marked with a few blackish spots, and 

 the feathers streaked down the middle as the back, but paler ; those of 

 the sides rufous, spotted with blackish, and streaked down the shafts 

 as the others; quills grey brown, crossed with rufous bands; the tail 

 has twelve feathers, barred black and pale rufous; legs pale brown. 



The female differs, in having no black spots on the fore part of 

 the neck, breast, and side feathers ; and the rufous colour less vivid ; 

 some of them have a long spot of brown beneath the throat. 



The Quail seems to be spread throughout the old world, but does 

 not inhabit the new. Is seen from the Cape of Good Hope, quite to 

 Iceland,* and throughout Russia, Tartary, China,t and various parts 

 of India; $ is observed to shift its quarters, according to the season ; 

 coming northward in spring, and departing southward in autumn, 

 and sometimes in vast flocks ; said to come twice in the year into 

 Capri, in such vast numbers, that the Bishop of the Island draws 

 the chief part of his revenue from them ; and hence is called the 

 Quail Bishop :§ the greater part also of all the Islands of the Archi- 

 pelago are sometimes covered with these birds ; and more than one 

 has obtained a name from the circumstance. || On the west coast of 

 Naples, within the space of four or five miles, 100,000 have been 

 taken in a day, and sold for eight livres per hundred, to be sent to 

 Rome ; the same on the coast of Provence, especially on the diocese 

 of the Bishop of Frejus, which is near the sea; and they appear at 

 first landing, so much fatigued, as frequently to be taken by the 

 hand. These, and similar circumstances, leave not a doubt of their 



* Horrebow. f Said to be found in Falkland Islands ; also in New Zealand. 



Forst. Obs. 199. J Various drawings from India. 



§ II Vescovo delle Quaglia. See Brydove's Voyage to Sicily and Malta. 



|| This is the case also in an Island in the Harbour of St. Jago, called Quail Isle. — Forst. 

 Obs. p. 39. 



vol. vm. S s 



