A bird, said to be very salacious, hence a prostitute or
courtesan.
“Here's Agamemnon, an honest fellow enough, and one that loves
quails.” —Shakespeare: Troilus and Cressida, v. 1.
The Ilaid of Homer is based on the story that Agamemnon,
being obliged to give up his mistress, took the mistress of Achilles to
supply her place. This brought about a quarrel between Agamemnon and
Achilles, and Achilles refused to have anything more to do with the
siege of Troy.
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
