Quail, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230

Quails are named after the sound of their call, with the Greek word for quail being ὄρτυξ/órtyx, as they were first sighted on the island of Ortygia. These birds have distinct migration patterns, crossing the seas after summer. Leading the flock is the ortўgŏmētra, or queen quail. Hawks often capture this leader as she approaches land, teaching us to be cautious of foreign leaders and early dangers.

Quails enjoy foods that are highly delightful but contain poisonous seeds, which led the ancients to forbid eating them. Notably, quails, like humans, can suffer from epilepsy. While the quail may be unfamiliar to us today, it was well-known to the children of Israel in biblical times.

Quails' delight in poisonous seeds may be seen as an allegory for temptation and sin. Just as the quails consume foods that are delightful but dangerous, humans may be tempted by sinful pleasures that ultimately harm them.

In the Bible, quails appear in the context of divine provision and punishment and are mentioned in Exodus[1] and Numbers[2]. They were provided by God to the Israelites as food in the desert but their overindulgence led to a plague. This story can symbolise the consequences of succumbing to desires and the importance of temperance.

Coturnices a sono vocis dicuntur quas greci or-
tigias vocant. eo quod vise fuerint primo; in
ortigia insula. Et dicitur coturnix quasi cotaur-
nix. Hee adveniendi habent tempora. Nam esta-
te depulsa; maria transeunt. Ortigometra dicitur
que gregem ducit. Hanc terre appropinquantem
accipiter videns rapit. Ac propterea cura est univer-
sis ducem sollicitare generis externi; pro qua ca-
veant prima discrimina. Cibos gratissimos semi-
na venenorum habent. Quam ob causam. veteres; eas ves-
ci interdixerunt. Solum enim hoc animal sicut et
homo; caducum patitur morbum. Coturnix
nobis ignota est; que olim filiis israel; nota fuit.

Quails are named after the sound of their call: the Greek word for quail is ὄρτυξ/órtyx, for these birds were first seen on the island of Ortygia. These birds have specific times for migration. After summer, they cross the seas. The leader of the flock is called ortўgŏmētra, the queen quail. When a hawk sees this bird approaching land, it captures her. Therefore, it is the duty of all to be wary of foreign leaders to avoid the early dangers. Their most delightful foods contain poisonous seeds. For this reason, the ancients forbade eating them, for only this animal, like humans, suffers from epilepsy. The quail is unknown to us but was known to the children of Israel in the past.

Further Reading

David Badke, The Bestiary Blog: Animals in the Middle Ages, Quail, November 6 2023, https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast256.htm

Mynott, J, Birds in the Ancient World (New York: Oxford University Press 2018)

Josh Goldenberg (BA 2012) and Matt Shanahan (BA 2014), Logeion, November 2022, https://logeion.uchicago.edu/

Castiglioni, L. and Mariotti, S. (1996). Vocabolario della Lingua Latina: Latino-Italiano Italiano-Latino. Terza Edizione. Loescher Torino

Curley, M. J., Physiologus: A Medieval Book of Nature Lore (University of Chicago edition 2009)

Rackham, H., M.A., Pliny Natural History Volume III, Libri VIII-XI (London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1949)

Collins, A. H., M.A., Symbolism of Animals and Birds (New York: McBride, Nast & Company, 1913)

Henderson, C., The Book of Barely Imagined Beings (London: University of Chicago Press, 2013)

White, T. H., The Bestiary: A Book of Beasts (New York: G.P Putnam’s Sons, 1960)

Matthews, J. and Matthews C., The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A-Z of fantastic beings from myth and magic (London: HarperElement, 2005)

Barney, S. A., Lewis, W. J., Beach A., Berghof O., The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006)

Endnotes

[1] Exodus NKJV 16:13: So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat. This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: ‘Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.’ ”

[2] Numbers NKJV 11:31-33: Now a wind went out from the Lord, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground. 32 And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers); and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. 33 But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was aroused against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very great plague.