s found in most parts of
Europe, as well as in Greenland. At Hudson's Bay they appear in
such multitudes that so many as sixty or seventy are frequently
taken at once in a net. As they are as tame as chickens, this is
done without difficulty. Buffon says that the Ptarmigan avoids
the solar heat, and prefers the frosts of the summits of the
mountains; for, as the snow melts on the sides of the mountains,
it ascends till it gains the top, where it makes a hole, and
burrows in the snow. In winter, it flies in flocks, and feeds on
the wild vegetation of the hills, which imparts to its flesh a
bitter, but not altogether an unpalatable taste. It is
dark-coloured, and has something of the flavour of the hare, and
is greatly relished, and much sought after by some sportsmen.

[Illustration: THE PTARMIGAN.]

TO DRESS QUAILS.

1046. INGREDIENTS.--Quails, butter, toast.

_Mode_.--These birds keep good several days, and should be roasted
without drawing. Truss them in the same manner as woodcocks, No. 1062;
roast them before a clear fire, keep them well basted, and serve on
toast.

_Time_.--About 20 minutes. _Average cost_.--Seldom bought.

_Sufficient_ 2 for a dish.

_Seasonable_ from October to December.

[Illustration: THE QUAIL.]

THE QUAIL.--Quails are almost universally diffused over Europe,
Asia, and Africa. Being birds of passage, they are seen in
immense flocks, traversing the Mediterranean Sea from Europe to
Africa, in the autumn, and returning again in the spring,
frequently alighting in their passage on many of the islands of
the Archipelago, which, with their vast numbers, they almost
completely cover. On the western coasts of the kingdom of
Naples, they have appeared in such prodigious numbers, that,
within the compass of four or five miles, as many as a hundred
thousand have been taken in a day. "From these circumstances,"
says a writer on natural history, "it appears highly probable
that the quails which supplied the Israelites with food during
their journey through the wilderness, were sent thither, on
their passage to the north, by a wind from the south-west,
sweeping over Egypt and Ethiopia towards the shores of the Red
Sea." In England they are not very numerous, although they breed
in it; and many of them are said to remain throughout the year,
changing their quarters from the int