of April or beginning of May ; if the wifid happens to be 

 contrary many perifli on the journey ; they are frequently 

 driven back when attempting to leave our fhores, and are 

 picked up dead on the beach. Oft arriving here they are very 

 lean, but in a few days recover their wafted fiefh and ftrength> 

 and foon become very fat j their food is infects and grain, alfa 

 the blades of green wheat, amongfl: which they are principally 

 found ; they are eafily enticed by means of a whiftle (which 

 imitates the note or call of the male bird) into nets and fnares 

 they are kept by poulterers in fmall boxesr, ffiade fo narrow as 

 to prevent their being able to turn round ; in this ftate they are 

 fed on bread and fugar mixed with hemp-feed, which fattens 

 them pTodigioufly ; we have known feveral kept in this way 

 for eight or nine months ; in the winter feafon they frequently 

 fell from half a guinea to fifteen fhillings the couple. 



This fpecies breeds on the ground, it makes fcarcely afty 

 neft, and lays from eight to twelve dufky coloured 6ggs, fpot~ 

 ted with brown of various tints ; the young begin to tnn as 

 foon as excluded, frequently with part of the fliell adhering 

 to them ; they feed at firft on arits and their eggs, much like the 

 partridge, but the parent birds are lefs careful' of their brodd, 



tt is a very pugnacious bird, and was formerly kept in many 

 parts of Europe, as it now is in China, for the purpof^ of 

 fighting, in the fame manner as game cocks, and was trained 

 much ifi the fame way. The fpecies is much lefs abuntlant 

 in this country than formerly, but in the fouth of Europe 

 they are found in immenfe numbers ; and it is on record, that 

 upwards of one hundred thoufand have been taken in one day , 

 ©n the -yveft coaft of the kingdom of Naples, 



