s. 
87 
Clafs II.] 
bir d 
SPECIES 
JVil. orn. 169 . 
Rail fyn. av. 58. 
Briffon av. I. 247. 
VI. The Quail. Plate M 6. 
Tetrao coturnix. Lin. fyft. 161. 
Gefner av. 334. 
Q UAILS are found iri moil parts of 
Great-Britain but not in any quan¬ 
tity : they are birds of paffage $ fome 
entirely quitting our ifland, others fhifting their 
quarters. A gentleman, to whom this work lies 
under great obligations for his frequent affiflanee* 
has alfured us, that thele birds migrate out of the 
neighboring inland counties, into the hundreds 
of EJfex , in October , and continue there all the 
winter : if froft or fnow drive them out of the 
ftubble fields and marlhes, they retreat to the 
fea-fide; fhelter themfelves among the weeds, and 
live upon what they can pick up from the algos. 
See. between high and low water mark. Our 
friend remarks, that the time of their appearance 
in EJfex , coincides with that of their leavincr the 
inland counties. 
Thefe birds are much lefs prolific than the 
partridge, feldom laying more than fix or feven 
eggs ; are very eafily taken, and may be enticed 
any where by a call. 
Eiftula dulce canit voludrem dum decipit auceps. 
/ - 
They are birds of great fpirit ; infomuch that 
quail fighting among the Athenians was as great 
an entertainment as cock fighting is in this coun¬ 
try. The antients never eat this bird, fuppofing 
them to have been unwholefeme, as they were 
laid to feed on Hellebore *. 
To the birds of this genus we fhould add the 
whole tribe of domeftic land fowl, fuch as Pea- 
cocks, Pheafants, Sec. but thele cannot clame 
even an European origin. The ifles of the Eajl 
Indies gave us Peacocks **, and our common Poul¬ 
try f Pheafants were firft derived from the 
banks of the Phafis f f, a river of Colchis. Gui¬ 
nea hens, the fuppofed AIdeag rides of the anti¬ 
ents, came from Africa and we are obliged 
to the difeoverers of North America for Aur- 
kies Jf. None of thefe are found in a wild hate 
m thefe kingdoms; but all are cultivated among 
11s : the common Poultry indeed have been long 
naturalized, as Caspar informs us they were one of 
the forbidden foods of the Old Britains. 
* Cotilrmcibus, venem lenien gratiffimus cibus, quam ob caufam eas 
damnavere menfe. Plin.lib. 10. c. 23. 
** Knoxs hi fi- Ce )' lcn - 2 8. f Dampiers voy. I. 392. LordAnfons voy.^oa 
ff Argiva prirnum funi tranfportata carina, 
ante mihi notum nil, nifi Phafis, erat. Martial lib. 13 . Epig. 72. 
} Bofinan's hi ft. Guinea 248. Roy ages des Du Marchais 3. 323. 
t+ I lir ftes, the commoneft wild lowl of America , are faid to have been 
hill: introduced into England , in the reign of Henry VIII. 
GENUS 
SPECIES 1. 
JVil. orn. 178. 
Raii fyn. av. 58 . 
Edzv. Tab. 73, 74. 
XIV. The BUSTARD. 
The Bullard. Plate N. The Male. 
Brijfon av. 5. 
Otis tarda. Lin. fyft. 134. 
OtiSjVelBiftarda. Gefner av. 484,486 
T H E buftard is the largeft of the Rritijh 
land fowl \ the male at a medium 
weighing twenty-five pounds $ there 
are inftances of fome very old ones weighing 
twenty-feven. The breadth nine feet; the length 
near four. Befides the fize and difference of co¬ 
lor ; the male is diftinguifhed from the female by 
a tuft of feathers about five inches lono- on each 
fide the lower mandible. 
The 
