Game-birds. 



239 



captured while performing its love-song or ' spel,' as it is called in Scandinavia, when 

 the bird works itself up to a great pitch of excitement and can then be approached 

 and shot by a skilful hunter, who understands its habits during the nesting-season. 

 The female performs all the duties of incubation, for as soon as the hens com- 

 mence to sit, the males take themselves off, and are no more seen that summer. 

 The nest is placed on the ground, and resembles that of the Black Grouse, and the 

 eggs, which measure a little over two inches in length, are large editions of those 

 of the last-named species. 



The Partridges differ from the Grouse in their unfeathered 



legs, and they are distinguished from the Pheasants by their 



short tail. 



THE RED-LEGGED 

 PARTRIDGE. 



(Cai'cabis rufa.) 



The Red-legged Partridge was introduced mto England 



from the Continent during the last 

 century, and is now a common bird in 

 oui eastern and midland counties. It 

 is found in all the countries of western 

 and south-western Europe, as well as 

 Madeira, the Canaries, and the Azores. 

 It is a beautiful bird with its white 

 throat surrounded by a black collar, its 

 rufous belly, and its banded flanks. It 

 is more given to running than our 

 Common Partridge, but when once 

 started its flight is direct and swift : it 

 is also a very pugnacious bird. The 

 nest is a slight hollow in the ground 

 under the shelter of some grass or 

 hedge-row. The eggs are sometimes 



The Common Partridge. 

 The Red-legged Partridge. 



THE COMMON 

 PARTRIDGE. 

 (Perdix perdix.) 



as many as eighteen in number, of a 

 stone-colour or buft" with numerous 

 dots and spots of reddish brown. 



Like the other British Game-birds our Common Partridge 

 is so well known that a description would be superfluous, 

 but it should be noticed that a hen bird can be told at any 

 age by the colour of the scapulars and the lesser and median 

 wing-coverts, which are black with broad cross-barrings of buft", as well as by the 

 central buff stripe down the centre of the feather. This is also seen in the male, 

 but the coverts and scapulars are not barred, being black with a marking of 

 chestnut on the inner web. Sometimes the old female has a chestnut horse-shoe 

 mark on the breast, but this is generally small, and is sometimes absent. Young 

 females, however, curiously enough, have a chestnut horse-shoe on the breast, 



