5°4 RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE. 



but since 'driving ' became a system, the only objection to it is its 

 inferiority for the table. Attempts at introduction on the mainland 

 of Scotland and in the Orkneys have failed ; nor have those made 

 in Ireland since 1844 been successful. There is no evidence that 

 this species undertakes long migrations from, or on, the Continent. 



In the Channel Islands the Red-legged Partridge is an alien, while 

 it is decidedly rare in Normandy and the north of France, and in 

 Belgium it is almost unknown. In the centre, east, and south of 

 France it is generally distributed, and it is the only red-legged 

 species indigenous to the Spanish Peninsula. On the Rock of 

 Gibraltar the Barbary Partridge (C. petrosa), with brown nape and 

 collar, has been introduced from Morocco \ and its eggs have occa- 

 sionally been hatched in England, but the bird has never maintained 

 a footing here. The Red-legged Partridge is also found in the Azores, 

 Madeira, and on the island of Gran Canaria : probably introduced 

 by the early settlers. In the Alps and the Apennines its progress 

 east\vard is barred by the presence of the larger and stronger 

 C. saxatilis, which also occupies Sicily; Sardinia is held by the 

 Barbary Partridge; but the Balearic Islands, Elba, Corsica, and 

 part of North-western Italy are left to the ' French ' bird. Few species 

 bear confinement better, for thousands of birds are carried about 

 in cages during the greater part of their lives, owing to the southern 

 practice of using them to lure their wild relatives within shot. 



The scanty nest is usually on grassy banks, often in thick brush- 

 wood, and not infrequently in the side or on the top of a stack ; the 

 15-18 eggs are yellowish-white, speckled with rufous-brown: mea- 

 surements 1-6 by 1-25 in. Incubation lasts 23 days. The food 

 consists of leaves, seeds and insects, obtained chiefly on waste land 

 of a drier and more open nature than that frequented by the 

 Grey Partridge. The latter is seldom interfered with; the two 

 species living apart, and very rarely interbreeding. The Red-legged 

 Partridge occasionally perches on trees, and may often be seen on 

 gates and palings. The note is a grating chuk, chuk, chukar. 



The adult male has the bill red ; crown grey ; a black streak from 

 each eye backwards and downwards to a gorget of the same colour ; 

 general upper parts hair-brown ; tail-feathers chestnut ; throat white ; 

 breast pearl-grey; belly fawn-colour; flanks greyish, handsomely 

 barred with black and chestnut ; legs red, with rudimentary spur- 

 knobs. Length 13-5 in. ; wing 6-25 in. The female is rather smaller 

 and duller in colour, without any knobs on her legs. The young 

 have no grey on the throat and hardly any black on the gorget. 



