154 



THE OOLOGIST 



NOTES ON THE HUNGARIAN 

 PARTRIDGE 



(Perdix perdix of Europe) 



The Hungarian Partridge were in- 

 troduced in Paulding County, Ohio, 

 a few years ago in small numbers, but 

 I am told that a great many were 

 released during the winter of 1917-18. 

 Since then I believe none have been 

 imported and in fact it would seem 

 unnecessary for they have multiplied 

 wonderfully and seem able to with- 

 stand severe winters just as well as 

 the Bob-white. 



Due to the public sentiment against 

 killing them they will very likely 

 soon be more common than the Bob- 

 white, whose numbers were so re- 

 duced by hunters before the strict 

 game laws were enforced. 



Marsh Hawks find them, especially 

 the young, an easy prey as they seem 

 to frequent the more exposed places 

 In fields, roadsides and open woods. 

 Young birds, although half grown, 

 seem to rely nearly as much on pro- 

 tective coloration as on hunting cover 

 and I have seen them after being 

 flushed, alight in a closely cropped 

 pasture, squat low and remain there 

 until one was ten feet away when 

 they would again fly several hundred 

 feet and alight where they could be 

 plainly seen; consequently one often 

 sees their feathers strewn about 

 where a Marsh Hawk has had a feast. 



It seems remarkable to me that 

 such heavy appearing birds can sail 

 as far as they do. I have seen them 

 sail a hundred feet farther than it 

 seemed they possibly could before 

 alighting. 



May 21, 1920—1 first found a nest 

 of these birds; it was a mere 

 depression in the wet ground under 

 a small bush by the roadside and 

 contained two muddy olive-brown 

 eggs considerably larger than those 

 of the Bob-white. Since that I have 



seen seven more nests containing 

 eggs aside from perhaps a dozen 

 nests where the eggs had hatched. In 

 nearly every instance the nests were 

 near the edge of clover, timothy or 

 oat fields or on ditch banks. 



Nest No. 2 was found May 1st, 

 1921 in a tuft of clover near edge of 

 a clover field. The single egg lay in 

 a hollow in the ground. Neither bird 

 was seen. A neighbor plowed the 

 nest under the next day. 



Nest No. 3 was found May 27, 1921. 

 It was a rather deep hollow in the 

 sod beneath a wire fence at the edge 

 of a corn field. The hollow was well 

 lined with bits of corn-stalks and 

 quite a few of the birds' own feath- 

 ers. This nest contained 18 eggs. 

 The female was flushed. 



Nest No. 4 was found July 27, 1921 

 in an oat field by an oat shock. The 

 hollow was well lined with young 

 clover plants and oat leaves and con- 

 tained 10 eggs. The female was 

 flushed. 



Nest No. 5 was found June 20, 1922 

 while mowing clover. The nest was 

 a well lined hollow amongst a dense 

 mass of clover near edge of field. 

 This nest contained 15 badly stained 

 eggs. The female (presumably) did 

 not flush until the cutler-bar has 

 passed over her. I cannot under- 

 stand why she was not killed. I was 

 was very glad to see her fly away ap- 

 parently unhurt. 



Nest No. 6 was found June 20, 1922 

 while mowing clover. It was in the 

 same field near the edge. The fresh 

 eggs lay on the bare wet ground and 

 all but one were cracked or crushed 

 by the mower wheel. I believe there 

 were ten or eleven eggs. Neither 

 bird was seen. 



Nest No. 7 and 8 were found by O. 

 E. White and shown me by his 

 brother. Both nests were in the same 

 clover field but nearly one-half mile 

 apart near extreme ends of the field. 



