AFRICA. tof 
come by fatigue, it fuffers Itfelf to be taken by 
the hand. The fame thing happens to all other 
birds of this kind, 
Befides the quail common to Europe and 
Africa, there is found at the Cape a bird much 
fmaller, which is alfo called a quail, but very 
improperly ; for it has only three toes on each 
' foot, and all directed forwards ; a mark fufEcient 
to convince us that they ought not to be con- 
founded. M. Soanerat, in his Voyage to India^ 
defcribes a bird of the fame kind, which he 
calls the three-toed quail, M. Desfontaines 
mentions alfo, in his Voyage to the Coafts of 
JBarbary, a like fpecies approaching near to 
that of the Cape, of which it is doubtlefs a va- 
riety. I am acquainted with two others much 
larger, one of the ifland of Ceylon, and the 
other of Java : I fhall give a defcription of 
them ; and I think it will bft necelTary to make 
p. new genus of them, to form the link of con- 
nexion between the quail and the French field 
duck to which it has a great refemblance 
in the conformation of its toes. Government 
fends 
^ In the original cane petiere> This bird, in Latin called 
anas pratcnfis Gallice^ according to Bomare, is peculiar to 
f ranee. It is about the fizie pf a pheafant \ its head refem- 
bles 
