All this moralising on the wickedness of hunting (September 12) is wearing a bit thin.

According to the Book of Exodus, when the Israelites were crossing the desert on their way to the Promised Land, God sent them manna for their sustenance.

Now this manna was, by all accounts, a delicious and nourishing food but after a while it began to pall and the Israelites murmured at the monotony of their diet. When their murmuring reached the ears of the Almighty, to shut them up, in addition to manna, He sent them quail. Out of every imaginable item of food, in His infinite wisdom, He sent them quail.

And so it came to pass, the Bible tells us, that every evening the camp of the Israelites was covered with these delightful game birds.

The Bible does not tell us if the Children of Israel hunted quail for their supper or simply picked them up and wrung their necks. What is certain is that the quail did not come vacuum-packed and oven-ready.

However, the Israelites had quail for dinner every night for the duration of their trip without a murmur.

Tomorrow Sandie - that's the German Short-Haired Pointer - and I will be hunting quail. Taking a leaf from the Book of Exodus, tonight, after my usual prayers, I will do a bit of murmuring on the side... and keep my fingers crossed.