352 THE BIRDS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



uncommon, and winter clutches, which may be either early 

 or late, are recorded. The " cheepers " (Plate 1 57) have buffish- 

 brown down, spotted and striped with black, and brownish bills 

 and legs. They are carefully tended and defended by the old 

 birds, who will boldly attack a threatening foe, even a dog. It has 

 been denied that they will dare to assault man, but once when 

 I blundered upon a family, the irate mother jumped at my legs 

 whilst the little ones scattered and hid. On another occasion 

 when the juveniles, which had just strength of wing to fly for 

 a few feet, whirred off from under our feet, the old bird ran 

 round in circles squealing dolefully. Even when so young 

 the tiny spread tails showed chestnut. 



The Partridge is a variable bird, more so than is usually 

 realised, and doubtless the artificial removal of many of its 

 keen-eyed foes has aided the permanence of variation. Dr. 

 Bureau, Mr. J. G. Millais, and Ogilvie-Grant have given full 

 descriptions of the normal colour changes and age variations of 

 the bird, but these are too complicated to be described here. 

 Roughly, it is slate-grey with fine vermiculations of black, and 

 bars and streaks of chestnut and buff, the bars and streaks 

 most pronounced on the wings and flanks. The forehead, 

 cheeks, and throat are chestnut, and there is a large chocolate 

 horse-shoe-shaped patch on the pale-greyish breast. The 

 head of the female is more streaked than that of the male, and 

 the horse-shoe, if present, is smaller. The bill and legs are 

 blue-grey, and the irides brown ; behind the eye is a small red 

 unfeathered patch. Buffish brown replaces the grey in young 

 birds, and there is little chestnut on the face. Uniform or 

 nearly uniform grey and reddish-brown birds are not un- 

 common, nor are others in which the horse-shoe and other 

 marking are more or less white. The red variety was described 

 as a species by Brisson, and early writers called his P. uiontana 

 the Mountain Partridge, or, according to Latham, the " Cheshire 

 Partridge." Length, 12-5 ins. Wing, 6*5 ins. Tarsus, 1*4 ins. 



