THE SAVAGE WORLD. 
365 
be mixed, and a mixed brood is thus batched, to which the foster-parent is no 
less devoted than to its own legitimate offspring. In cases of threatening 
danger to the nest, the female partridge has been known to carry her eggs to 
another spot, though how this is done remains to be explained. 
About the middle or end of February, according to the mildness or 
inclemency of the season, the partridge begins to pair; and, as the male birds 
are very numerous, they fight desperate battles for the object of their love. 
While engaged in combat, they are so deeply absorbed in battle that they may 
be approached quite closely, as they whirl 
round and round, grasping each other by 
the beak, and have even been taken by 
hand. So strong, however, is the warlike 
instinct, that, when released, the furious 
birds recommence the quarrel. 
In nearly all respects the English 
partridge and the red-legged partridge differ 
from the American bob-white only in size, 
the former being nearly as large as our prairie 
chicken, the coloring and habits, being so similar as to show a close relationship. 
The Quail ( Coturnix communis) is found very widely distributed over all 
parts of Europe, and a greater part of Africa and Asia. It will be remem¬ 
bered that during the flight of the 
Israelites, and while famishing in 
the Arabian wilderness, a miracu¬ 
lous flight of quails came and cov¬ 
ered up the camp. The surprising 
numbers of these birds in former 
years would lend probability to 
the story, even were it related by 
profane writers. These birds are 
migratory, and even to this day 
sometimes pass over Arabia in 
countless numbers; they chiefly 
travel by night, no doubt in order 
to escape the birds of prey that 
would create sad havoc among 
them if discovered during the 
daytime; the females precede the 
males several days, but why this is 
so cannot be determined. This 
species, unlike our American quail, 
are polygamous, the male adopting the habits of our barnyard cock, and sur¬ 
rounding himself with about a dozen hens. From these habits the inference is 
unavoidable that the females are very much more numerous than the males. 
So pugnacious are the males that it has long been a custom among people of 
Eastern countries to keep large numbers and train them especially for the 
prize-ring, great sums being staked upon the result of a fight. The breeding 
habits are identical with those of our American quail. 
The Virginia Quail ( Ortyx virginianci) is also called bob-white from the 
VIRGINIA QUAII,. 
