284 



ALLENS NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



articles on this subject which appeared in the 'Field' (Nov. 

 21, 1891 ; April 9, 1892). 



"In every text-book on ornithology which gives a description 

 of the plumage in the male and female of the Common Par- 



Fig. 2. 



I'ig. 



Fig. I. — Median wing-covert of male Partridi^e. Figs, 2 & 3. — Median 

 wing-coverts of female Partridge. 



tridge we find that the chief difference mentioned as distin- 

 guishing the two sexes is, that the male has a large chestnut 

 horse- shoe-shaped mark on the lower breast, while in the female 

 this marking is reduced to a few chestnut spots, or is some- 

 times entirely absent. This character, as we first pointed out 



