COROMANDEL QUAIL. 



365 



before they are flushed ; and when they are forced 

 upon wing, they seldom fly far. They are easily 

 drawn within reach of a net by a call imitating 

 their cry, which is not unlike the syllables whit, 

 whit, whit. The males are birds of great courage, 

 and their quarrels often terminate in mutual de- 

 struction. The Athenians and Romans were very 

 partial to quail-fighting, which is practised in China 

 to this day. It is related of Augustus, that he 

 punished a prefect of Egypt with death, for 

 bringing t.o his table one of these birds which had 

 acquired celebrity for its victories ! 



COROMANDEL QUAIL. 

 (Coturnix textilis.) 



Co, corpore supra Jusco nigro rufoque vario^ pennarum fascia 

 media longitudinali albo-rufa, subtus albo, nigro longitudi- 

 nalite?' striata, gutturis macula nigra, colli fascia longitudinali 

 nigra. (Femina diluiioribus ; gula fused, ) 



Quail with the body above brown, varied with black and rufous ) 

 the feathers with a longitudinal whitish red fascia in the 

 middle ; beneath white, longitudinally striped with black > 

 the throat with a black spot ; the neck with a longitudinal 

 black fascia. {Female paler, with a brown throat.) 



Coturnix textilis. Temm. GalL Ind. p. 742. 



Perdix Coromandelica. Lath. Ind. Orn, 2. 654. 38. 



Tetrao Coromandelicus. Gmel. Syst. Nat. 1. 764. 55. 



La petite Caille de Gingi. Sormer. Voy. Ind. 2. 173 



Caille nattee. Temm. Pig. et Gall. 3. 512. 



Coromandel Quail, Lath. Gen, Syn, 4. 789* 34^ 



