QUINARY SYSTEM. 397 



Quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's 

 journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side 

 round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of 

 the earth. And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, 

 and all the next day, and they gathered the Quails : he that gathered 

 least gathered ten homers : and they spread them all abroad for them- 

 selves round about the camp." Bechstein gives a curious account 

 of the manner in which these birds are taken in Germany. The male 

 is usually caught in a trap, with the assistance of a bird-call, so formed 

 as to imitate exactly the cry of the female in the pairing season, when if 

 the male has not yet met with a mate, he runs eagerly into the snare pre- 

 pared for him. " As soon as the song of the bird you wish to procure, 

 is heard," says he, " it is necessary to advance softly to within five or 

 six paces of his station, and there place the trap among the wheat, in 

 such a position as will suffer it to fall level with the ground, and then 

 retire a little. The Quail will then utter his song ; to which reply 

 with two or three notes, after the manner of the female, from the call, 

 if this is not done with care, the bird will immediately suspect trea- 

 chery, and either retire or remain silent ; but if skilfully done, the bird 

 proceeds directly to the call : if by chance he miss the trap, he will go 

 so near, as to be within reach of the hand. In this case it is safest to 

 retire softly to the opposite side of the trap, and again repeat the call." 



" Besides beauty of form and plumage," says the same author, " the 

 song of this bird is no slight recommendation to the amateur. In the 

 breeding season, that of the male commences by repeating softly, tones 

 resembling verra, verra, followed by the word pievervie, uttered in a 

 bold tone, with the neck raised, the eyes shut, and the head inclined on 

 one side ; those who repeat the last syllable, ten or twelve times conse- 

 cutively, are the most esteemed : that of the female only consists of the 

 syllables verra, verra, pupu pupu, the two last syllables being those by 

 which the male and female attract each others attention. When 

 alarmed or enraged, their cry resembles the word guillah ; but at other 

 times it is no more than a murmur resembling the purring of a cat. 

 The Quail never sings when left to run about in a light room ; but in 

 a darkened room, or cage, it will often sing during the whole night."* 



QUA BIRD.— A name for the Night Heron. 



QUEST. — A name for the Ring Dove. 



QUINCK. — A name for the Goose. 



QUINARY SYSTEM. — A distribution or arrangement of birds in 

 groups of fives, proposed by Mr. Vigors, on the principles of Mr. W. S. 

 MacLeay. — [See Introduction.] 



