THE SNOW PARTRIDGES. 79 



By using the combined characters of the shape o. the wing 

 and length of the tail, one can artificially separate the two 

 groups, and when a large number of genera have to be dealt 

 with, such divisions, though of no real scientific importance, 

 are at least extremely useful in facilitating the identification of 

 individuals. 



The Perdicince may be characterised as follows : — 



OLD WORLD PARTRIDGES AND QUAILS. 

 SUB-FAMILY PERDICIN/E. 



The cutting edge of the lower mandible is not serrated. The 

 first flight-feather is equal to or longer than the tenth,^and the 

 tail is shorter, usually much shorter, than the wing. The sides 

 of the head are feathered, with or without a naked space sur- 

 rounding the eye. The most extreme form of the " Partridge " 

 wing is found in the Snow Partridge {Leriva) and the Quails 

 {Coturnix and Synceciis)^ where the first flight-feather is very 

 little shorter than, or sometimes equal to, the second and third, 

 which form the point of the wing. 



The extreme form of " Pheasant " wing obtains in the Argus 

 Pheasants {Argusiamts), where the first flight-feather is the 

 shortest and the tenth the longest. 



THE SNOW PARTRIDGES. GENUS LERWA. 

 Lerwa, Hodgs. Madr. Journ. v. p. 300 (1837) ; id. Journ. As. 

 Soc. Beng. xxiv. p. 580 (1855). 



Type, Z. lenva (Hodgs.). 



The upper half of the feet (metatarsi) covered ivith feathers 

 as in the Hazel Grouse. Tail about four-sevenths of the length 

 of the wing, rounded, and composed of fourteen feathers. The 

 iirst flight-feather equal to the third, and only slightly shorter 



* In one or two of the FrancoHns it is slightly shorter ; but the short tail 

 at once distinguishes them as Perdicince, 



