THE BIRDS OF MESOPOTAMIA. 
9o5 
330. Quail. Coturnix coturnix. 
Coturnix coturnix coturnix (L.) (Syst. Xat. Ed. x, p. 161, 1758' — Sweden), 
The Quail occurs chiefly as a passage migrant, arriving early in March ; the 
passage lasts throughout April and into early May ; as elsewhere they frequent 
scrub, grass land and crops. It is fairly common in suitable places on passage ; 
as a winter visitor it occurs sparsely, never very common, in suitable cover all 
over the country singly, in pairs, or in small lots. Some evidently stay to breed 
in the country as Livesay obtained eggs and Pitman saw a covey of cheepers at 
Kut in the middle of June and in July. The return passage apparently takes 
place in September. Bags of up to 27 brace were got on spring passage. 
Five specimens : Daur, 22-10-18 (two) (P. Z. C. and R, E. C.) S , Sulimania, 
11-19 (Ross) ; Amara, 21-9-18 ; Kuwait, 28-12-18. (P. A. B.) 
C. B. T. 
Literature. 
1870-72. Although it contains little relating to Mesopotamia proper, mention 
must be made of Vol. II of Eastern Persia on account of the Journeys 
of the Persian Bombay Conunission, 1870-72. Birds occupy pp. 98-304 
of Vol. II, in which 284 species are recorded. 
Occasional references chiefly to the bird colonies in the Persian Gulf 
will be found in Hume and Oates, Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds, 
3 vols. (1889-90) and the Birds (4 vols.) of the Fauna of India by the 
same writers. 
1882. Canon H. B. Tristram. Ibis pp. 402-419. Ornithological Notes of a 
Journey through Mesopotamia and Southern Armenia in 1881. 
1886. R.B. Sharpe. Ibis. pp. 475-493. On a Collection of Birds from Fao in 
the Persian Gulf with field notes by W. D. Cumming (99 species, 
recorded, first account of breeding of Hypocolius ampelinus). 
R. B. Sharpe, t. c. pp. 493-199. On a Collection of birds 
from Bushire in the Persian Gulf (53). 
1891. R. B. Sharpe. Op. Cit., pp. 103-116. Notes on a second Collection of 
Birds made by Mr. W. D. Cumming at Fao in the Persian Gulf 
(includes' 95 species and notes on eggs collected). 
1899. W. D. Cumming. J. Bomb. N. H. S. XII, p. 760 (Letter on the nesting 
of Hypocolius ampelinus). 
1903. H. E. Witherby; Ibis, p. 501-571. An Ornithological Joirrney in 
Fars, South-West Persia, (Notes on 163 species.) 
1904-9. (In 1903-4 Zarudny travelled and collected in Western Persia and 
the Ornithological results of his journeys are embodied in a series of 
short papers and descriptions of new forms chiefly in the Ornith. 
Monatsberichte and the Ornith. Jahrbuch. A complete list of these 
papers will be found in the Joi<r«aZ/M/- Ornithologie, 1911,pp. 188-189). 
1904. N. Zarudny. Orn. Jahrbuch, xv, p. 108, Passer mesopotaniicus, spec, nov, 
1906. N. Zarudny and H. Baron, London. Orn. Monatsber., XIV, pp. 
133-134, Zum Material rtber die Asiatischen Pterocles und Columbce. 
1907. H. F. Witherby. Ibis, pp.74-1 1 1. On a collection of birds from Western 
Persia and Armenia ; ^vith field notes by Woosnam (168 species). 
1910. Rev. F. C. R, Jourdain. Bull. B. 0. G., XXV, pp. 72-73 (E.xhibition 
of Eggs collected by A. G. Tomlinson near Basra, etc.) 
1911. N. Zarudny, Journ. fur Ornith., pp. 185-241. Verzeichnis der Vogel 
Persiens (an important list with notes on literature. Zoological regions 
and a distributional list of 716 forms with some Ornithological 
Notes). 
1912-13. H. Weigold. cit. Op. 1912, pp. 249-297, 365-410, and 1913, pp, 
1-40 “ Ein Monat. Ornithologie in den Wusten und Kulturoasen Nord- 
westmesopotamiens und Imieryisiens. (127 species.) 
