BRITISH BIRDS. 



131 



THE PHEASANTS. 



By many naturalists the next family, that of the 

 Pheasants, is not separated from the last, and both are 

 included in that of the gallinaceous birds, of which the 

 domestic poultry is the best known example. 



The following is an enumeration of the British species : — 



Family — Phasianidie. 

 Genus — 1. Perdix. 



2. Cotitrnix. 



3. Caccabis. 



4. Phasianus. 



5. Pavo. 



G. Meleagris. 

 7. Niiinida. 



P. cinerca. 

 C. cojiimtinis. 

 C. ntfa. 



P. colcJiicus. 

 P. C7'istatHS. 



Partridge. 

 Quail. 



Red-legged Par- 

 tridge. 

 Pheasant. 

 Peacock. 



M. gallo-pavo. Turkey. 



X. nieleaoris. Guinea Fowl. 



Partridge. — The bill, which is strong and rather short, 

 is of a light bluish grey colour, and has the upper mandible 

 rather hooked, and projecting beyond the lower one ; the 

 eye is hazel, and surrounded by a ring of bare skin 

 coloured bright red. The general colour is reddish brown 

 above and on the breast, most of the feathers having light 

 yellow shafts. The breast is grey, marked with many 

 wavy dark lines, and the rest of the under parts are 

 yellowish grey. The flights and secondaries are brownish 

 grey, spotted in rows with yellowish brown. The legs and 

 feet are bluish grey. The female is smaller, and the 

 breast feathers browner. The male measures about 

 12^ inches, and the female II3 or 12. 



These birds are plentifully distributed throughout the 

 British Isles, but are less abundant in some parts of them 

 than they w^ere a few years ago. 



