CHAPTER XIV. 



Partridges. 



Partridges like the quail, the peacock, the guinea-fowl and the 

 turkey belong to the great pheasant family, Pliasianidac. It is re- 

 markable with how great a variety of game birds we are supplied 

 by this family, the members of which differ from the grouse in the 

 legs being nuked and armed usually with spurs. 



The Pliasiianidae are again divided into three sub-families, namely, 

 the Phasianinac, which includes the pheasants (as dealt with in a pre- 

 vious paper), Pcrdicinac, which inchides the Old World partridges and 

 quails, and OdontopJiorinae, including the American partridges and 

 quails. 



With the first we have already dealt, while the last need not 

 concern us for the present. This paper deals only with a few members 

 of the second, Pcrdicinac, though in passing it may be mentioned that 

 the last two sub-families include over one hundred and fifty distincc 

 species. 



The main characteristics of the partridges are (1) that in the wing 

 the tenth flight feather is shorter than the first, and (2) that the tail 

 is shorter than the wing. It will be seen on examination that the 

 quails come in this group, but I shall not deal with them in this paper, 

 confining my remarks to the two genera Pcrdix and Caccahis. 



The genus Pcrdix is represented in Great Britain by the girey 

 partridge (Pcrdix cincrca), so familiar to all, and in China by two 

 species, the bearded partridge (P. daurica) and tlie Kansu partridge 

 (P. sifanicng). A fourth species, P. hndgsoui, is found in Southern 

 Thibet. These four species represent what may be called the true 

 partridges, the first two having eighteen tail feathers and the last two 

 only sixteen. 



The form common to most parts of China is the bearded partridge. 

 (P. daurica), which very closely resembles the British connnon or 

 grey partridge, (P. cincrca). It is, however, more yellow in colour, 

 and is remarkable for its very distinct beard of long feathers, depend- 

 ing from the throat. In size it about equals the grey partridge, though 

 s 13 



