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 hig-h 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 ; hut 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 traj), 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 guillaJi ; 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. 
Mac Leay. — [See Introduction.] 
