PREFACE. 
XI 
for the last five years, lias always laid bare nests of the quail in his 
progress, or seen broods of young. This occurs generally in the middle 
of June, though so late this year as about the 1st of July, He then 
saw three or four nests or broods ; one of the latter being apparently 
three weeks old. There was but little ground under meadow this 
season, but when there has been from twenty-five to thirty acres, ten or 
twelve nests would be observed. He considers the quail an early- 
breeding bird.* 
The colours of the quail sometimes appear very striking when the 
bird is about alighting near one with its back towards him. I have 
seen the rich yeUow and brown dorsal markings exhibited in straight 
lines alternately down the baek, giving it altogether a striped appear- 
ance, which, though formal, looked singular and beautiful. 
At Mertoun, in the same distriet as Holywood House, a pointer dog 
had to be kept chained this season on aeeount of the service which he 
was considered to render to an English terrier in killing quails. The 
two sallied out together early in the morning, and when the former 
“ pointed ” the quails, the terrier rushed before him to seize one. They 
were casually observed to act thus in a clover field, though a capture 
was not effected on that oecasion ; the terrier was several times seen 
with these birds after returning from such excursions. Quails often 
lie so close that, doubtless, they could occasionally be thus taken. f 
Several times when I have been walking on the borders of meadows, 
my dog has picked up a land-rail as it ran close to my feet. 
* Mr. K. Ball has known quails’ nests to be commonly exposed to view in the 
south of Ireland drn’ing the mowing of grass and clover early in the summer. 
t Since the preceding matter was put in type, I have had the following confirma- 
tion that the quail can he so captured, from Robert Taylor, Esq., of Belfast, who 
resided some time at Corfu ; — “ One mode of taking quails, which I frequently 
witnessed during the course of my walks through the fields of Corfu, 1 had never 
read of, and struck me as very singular. A man, armed with a gun, and accompanied 
by a peculiar-looking dog — a kind of lurcher — proceeded slowly through the field, 
the dog keeping a few feet in advance, and carefully examining every bush and tuft 
in which a bird could possibly find shelter. Generally the dog seized the quail while 
