PHASIANIDAE—QUAIL. 221
ever killed anything during the whole season, but he was very fond of taking a
stroll with his gun. One day he was passing near a grove through which a ride
had been cut. A covey of seven birds rose just before him, and went straight
down the ride. The old gentleman fired after them down the ride and killed all
seven. This was a great boast for him, and a great joke for all his friends for the
rest of his life.
" But it was in this same neighbourhood that I saw the two most remarkable
shots made in one day that have ever come under my observation. I was out with
Mr. Gayton and his friend Dr. H., both very good shots. In the early part of the
day, four birds rose close to a hedge in front of Mr. H. They rose together, but
flew two and two as they topped the hedge. Mr. H. killed them all four, two with
his first barrel and two with his second, picking out the time of their crossing.
We went on and had a good day's shooting, and towards evening were returning
by the same hedge where Mr. H. had killed his four birds, when, almost at the
same spot four birds rose before Mr. Gayton, going over the hedge in exactly the
same manner, and Mr. Gayton served them exactly in the same way, killing two,
while crossing, with his first barrel, and two with his second. Here there was no
firing ' into the brown ' of a covey : only four birds rose each time, and four were
killed by deliberate calculation, two and two each time."
In the Walden Museum is a variety obtained at Radwinter many years ago.
It is in very light plumage, the feathers on the breast being of a creamy-white with
scarcely a trace of ash-colour. A white one was shot in Essex on Oct. 2nd, 1886
(29. Oct. 9), after having been seen about for several months. Mr. Scruby
preserved a beautiful pied specimen shot by Mr. J. Milbank, at Leaden Roothing,
on Nov. 3rd, 1869 (29. Nov. 20).
Quail : Coturnix communis.
Not a rare bird, though very sparingly distributed, never abundant,
and much less so than formerly. It occurs from time to time, and
has also bred, in most parts of the county, but can never be counted
upon to do so regularly.
Pennant, in his British Zoology (4th ed , 1776, p. 277), says ;—
"A gentleman, to whom this work lies under great obligations for his frequent
assistance, has assured us that these birds migrate out of the neighbouring inland
counties into the Hundreds of Essex in October, and continue there all the winter.
If frost or snow drive them out of the stubble-fields and marshes, they retreat to
the sea-side, shelter themselves among the weeds, and live upon what they can
pick up from the algae, &c, between high and low water-mark. Our friend re-
marks that the time of their appearance in Essex coincides with that of their
leaving the inland counties. The same observation has been made in Hampshire."
Daniel, alluding to these statements in 1802, says (6. ii. 453), " However
genuine this account is of the Quail's abode in the Hundreds of Essex formerly,
there is good ground for discrediting the existence of the circumstance at present."
In this he is certainly correct. Pennant must have been completely misinformed.
Mr. G. W. Johnson, in his History of Great Totham (1831, p. 8), says : " The
Quail was formerly found in this and other parts of Essex, but its occurrence now
is very rare." The Rev. R. Sheppard seems to have met with it occasionally at
Wrabness, as he notes its arrival there (see p. 42) on Apr. 2nd in 1819, and on
Apr. 7th in 1822. Parsons shot one at Shoebury on Jan. 10th, 1827 (8). Mr.
Hill met with it near Southminster about 1832 (12. iv. 452). J. C., of Witham,
met with a nest containing ten eggs in a clover-field on Aug. 12th, 1833. He says
" the bird is rather an uncommon one in this part of the county " (12. viii. 5r7).
Edward Jesse, writing in 1844, says (Scenes and Tales of Country Life, p. 267),
" In one district in Essex, numerous eggs have been found during the mowing