quail, quaile, quaille, quayle

[O. Fr. quaille (Fr. caille ), from Low Lat. quaquila =a quail, from O. Dut. quackel =a quacker, a quail, from quacken =to croak, to quack; Ital. quaglia = a quail.] 1. Ord. Lang. & Ornith.: The genus Coturnix, espec. Coturnix communis , or dactyli so nans , the latter name having reference to the peculiar dac tylic call of the male, which has given rise to the provincial name of Wet-my-lips, Wet-my-feet, from a supposed similarity of sound. It is widely distributed over the eastern hemisphere, visiting Europe in early summer and returning southward in the autumn, when immense numbers are caught and fattened for the market, as their flesh is much esteemed. Length about seven inches, general color reddish-brown, with buff streaks on the upper surface; throat rufous; head dark-brown above, striped with ocherous white, sides reddish-brown, lower parts pale buff, fading into white on belly. Color le bright in the hen bird. and the rufous tinge absent from the throat. They nest on the ground, laying from nine to fifteen pyriform yellowish-white eggs, blotched with dark-brown. The males are polygamous and extremely pugnacious. The name is often applied to members of the American genera Ortyx and Lophortyx; the genus Excalfactoria contains the Dwarf Quails, and the family Turn i cide the Bush Quails. 2. Fig .: A courtesan, a prostitute. 3. Script.: Heb. selav , selaiv (Exod. xvi. 13, Num. xi. 31, 32, .) seems correctly rendered.