QUA 
extremely (lender and juicy, that they may be 
as eafily eaten as the flefh : hence probably arofe 
the vulgar notion that it was entirely without 
bones. 
Quail, Bengal. This fpecles is fomewhat 
larger than the European: the bill is cinereous; 
the angles of the mouth are red ; and the noftrils 
are large and oblong. The irides are white; the 
top of the head is black; but under it there is a 
yellow fpace, beyond which a black bar runs from 
the corners of the mouth round the back part of 
the head, and below this appears a white fpace. 
The belly and thighs are yellowifli ; the hind part 
of the head, the back, and the feathers which co- 
ver the wings, are of a yellowifh green hue; and 
the quill-feathers are black. The legs and feet are 
orange-coloured; and the claws are of a dark 
dirty red hue. 
Quail, Chinese. This fpecies has a black 
bill ; the fore-part of the head, the breaft, and fides, 
are of ablueifh afh-colour; the belly, thighs, and 
coverts beneath the tail, are of a dark orange; 
and a dufKy white line runs along tlie middle of 
the belly. The fides of the brea(t are fpotted 
v/ith black; there is a black fpot on the throat, 
tinder the bill, furrounded with white; and be- 
yond that a black line proceeding from the an- 
gles of the mouth: thefe lines join in a black lift 
on the fore-part of the neck. The hinder part of 
the head and neck, with the back, wings, and co- 
verts of the tail, are brown ; the middle part of 
the plumage on the back and rump is of a light 
brown colour, with black lines on each fide, and 
fome fprinklings of black in the intermediate 
fpaces; the wing-feathers are alfo irregularly 
barred with tranfverfe duflcy lines; and the legs 
and feet, which are fliaped like thofe of the com- 
mon Quail, are of a bright yellow orange colour. 
This bird is fometimes imported into Europe. 
In China, it's native country, it is often tamed, 
and taught to fight like the Englifh cock. 
QITAN, OR GUAN; the Meleagris Criftata 
of Linnffius. This bird, which fome fuppofe to 
be fynonymous with the Jacupemaof Marcgrave, 
is a native of the Weft Indies, and Ibmewhat 
larger tlian the common hen. The bill is 
ftraight, flightly bending at the point, and of a 
black colour; the fides of the head are of a blue 
purplilb hue, and deftitute of plumage; the irides 
are of a dark dirty orange colour; under the chin 
depends a fine red loofe Ikin, thinly fet with black 
hairs; and the top of the head is invefted with 
black feathers, which the bird can ereft into a 
creft. The whole body is covered with blaclc, or 
dark rufty brown feathers; the fore-part of the 
neck, the breaft, and the belly, have white fpots 
and daflies tending downv/ard, intermixed with 
the dark colour; the coverts of the wings have 
fom.ewhat of a green and purple glofs; and the 
back and rump refledl a copper-coloured glofs: 
but all thefe tints vary according to the light in 
which they are viewed. The thighs and lower 
bellv are of a rufty black colour; the tail, which 
is pretty long, is fhaped like that of a turkey; 
the legs and feet are of a bright red colour; the 
three forward toes are connected at their bafes by 
a membrane; and the clav/s are black. 
QUAPACHTOTOTL. An appellation by 
which Nieremberg has defcribed a bird which, ac- 
cording to his account, imitates the human laugh. 
The body and tail are each about eight inches 
lonp-; the beak is of a blueilh black colour, bent 
QUE 
and crooked; the breaft is grey; and the be'ly is 
black. The tail is of a brownifii black hue; and 
the wings, neck, and head, are of a yellowifh 
brown. 
QUATOTOMOMI. An American bird of 
the woodpecker kind, having it's head adorned 
with a red creft, from which two white lines de- 
fcend to the breaft. Nierem.berg calls it Picus 
Imbrifoetus. 
QUAUHTZONECOLIM. An American 
bird, generally accounted a fpecies of quail, bun 
by Nieremberg referred to the partridge tribe. 
It is about the fize of the European partridge; 
and of a brownifh colour, adorned with a creft. 
America aflx)rds two other fpecies of birds 
nearly allied to this; the one has a yellow bodv, 
with a black and white head; the other is fmall, 
and brown, without any creft. 
QUEEN BEE. A term ufed by modern na- 
turalifts to exprefs a large, long-bodied Bee; of 
which kind there is only one in a whole fwarm, 
and always treated with peculiar refpe6l by the 
reft. 
It is generally allowed that the generation and 
whole ccconomy of Bees depends in a great mea- 
fure on this female fovereign; and that her pre- 
fence is abfolutely necefi'ary to the profperity and 
fafety of the whole community. Of fuch confe- 
quence indeed is this individual, that the lofs of 
her would prove the total and inevitable deftruc- 
tion of the whole hive or fwarm, unlefs another 
ruler immediately afilimed the helm of govern- 
ment. Without her prefence and dire£lion, the 
other Bees will neither coUeft wax nor honey ; 
nor will they breed and propagate their kind. 
A ftock, deprived of it's Queen, would fpeedily 
yield to invaders, or elfe languifti and pine away: 
but no fooner is it fupplied with a Queen, than 
pleafure and aflivity are vifible throughout the 
whole fociety; the prefence of their fovereign re- 
ftores vigour and exei-tion; and her voice com- 
mands univcrfal refpeft and obedience. As the pa- 
rent and fovereign of every fwarm is a female, fo 
the whole government is vefted in her alone; for 
where there happen to be feveral candidates for 
royalty, anarchy and difcord prevail, till they are 
either all expelled, or reduced to the obedience 
of one. 
As it may be of fome confequence to diftinguifli 
the Queen Bee from the reft, we fhall fubjoin the 
difcriminations which peculiarly mark her. She 
is much larger than the common working Eees; 
her body is longer than that of any of the drones ; 
and her hinder part is more taper, to enable her 
v/ith the greater facility to reach the bottoms of 
the cells, where the eggs are depofited for the 
propagation of the fpecies. Her upper parts 
differ very little from thofe of the common Bees 
in colour; but her belly and legs are of the bright- 
eft yellow, refembling pure gold. It is alfo faid 
that fhe may be diftinguifhed by her voice, which 
is an oftave; and by her being one of the lall 
which falls with her belly upwards, when the 
Bees of a fingle ftock are dropped into an empty 
hive, in order to be incorporated with others. 
A variety of difcordant opinions have been pro- 
pagated by naturalifts refpeding the generation of 
Bets in general, and particularly of the Queen; 
but, according to the doftrine of M, Schirach, 
whofe obfervations have been confirmed by the 
experiments of Mr. Debraw, all the working or 
comnj^on Bees are females in difguife ; and the 
Queen Bees 
