Quail, a small game-bird of the Old World, belonging to the partridge family. There are six species. The common European quail is about seven inches long, with a very short tail. They are of a brown color, streaked with buff. They are ground-birds. They winter in Africa, and are trapped in large numbers for the market. The birds called quail in the United States belong to a different family. The bob-white is a good type. They nest on the ground, laying from ten to eighteen white eggs, but sometimes they perch on trees. They remain through the year and should be protected and fed, for they are helpful to the farmers in destroying many injurious insects. They are especially fond of the Colorado potato-beetle.
