. Cassell's natural history . mendation to the amateur. He states that, in the breeding-season, the song of the male commences by softlj repeating tones resembling ferra, rerra,followed by jjievorir, uttered in a bold tone, \vith the neck raised, the eyes shut, and thehead inclined on one side. Those that i-epeat the last syllables ten or twelve timesconsecutively are the most esteemed. The song of the female only consists of ivnv,oerra, piqm, pi(j)t(, the two last syllables being those by which the male and female attracteach others attention. When alarmed or angry, their cry resembles guiUah
. Cassell's natural history . mendation to the amateur. He states that, in the breeding-season, the song of the male commences by softlj repeating tones resembling ferra, rerra,followed by jjievorir, uttered in a bold tone, \vith the neck raised, the eyes shut, and thehead inclined on one side. Those that i-epeat the last syllables ten or twelve timesconsecutively are the most esteemed. The song of the female only consists of ivnv,oerra, piqm, pi(j)t(, the two last syllables being those by which the male and female attracteach others attention. When alarmed or angry, their cry resembles guiUah, but atother times it is only a gently purring murmur. The quail never sings when left to runabout in a light room, except during the night, but continually when in a darkened cage ;so firmly rooted are its nocturnal instincts. AVarm as a quail, is a French proverb. The Chinese have the same notion ; theyuse this bird for warming their hands in cold weather—an application which is frequentlydelineated in Chinese THE qrAH,.* The Quail, witli which \rc arc acquainted, is imich less Ihan the parfriflgo, being onlyabout seven inches in length ; it, however, resembles that- bird in its form and modes oflife and its flesh is excellent. It is widely spread, being lound tlnoughout the whole ofsouthern and temperate Europe, and the greater part of Asia and Africa, but is exevy-where migratory. The female makes an artless bed in a slight hollow of the groid for her eggs, whicharc of a green tint, and vary in number from eight to twehc, or e^■cn fifteen. InEno-land the quail makes its appearance in May, but not in such great abundance, it issaid, as formerly. In October it departs to Africa, which is the great winter abode ofthis species. The female has not the dark half-circular marks descending down the sides of theneck nor the black patch in front, which distinguish the male bird. The leathers onher breast, however, arc strongly marked with a small dark spot on each si
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1854
