162 SCANDINAVIAN AND NORTHERN. 



though the time of introduction does not seem to be 

 exactly known, it is generally supposed to have been 

 during the reign of the great Gustavus Vasa, now some 

 tln'ee hundred years ago. And I can well believe it to be 

 of foreign extraction ; for, even at the present day, the 

 inhabitants of Oroust, one of the larger of the islands on 

 the west coast of Sweden, call it the Hjerpe, or Hazel- 

 Hen, a bird that once abounded there, but which, since the 

 destruction of the woods, is now extinct, or nearly so. 



The Scandinavian Partridge, as seen in the accom- 

 panying picture, is, in appearance, a counterpart to the 

 English, though it strikes me as being somewhat smaller. 

 What the weight of ours may be I know not, but six 

 brace that I one day shot in Sweden, at the very end of 

 October, weighed, on the following morning, exactly ten 

 pounds avoirdupois. They were chiefly young birds, 

 though in plumage nearly resembling their parents. But 

 then it must be borne in mind that Partridges in Sweden 

 breed at a somewhat later period than in England ; so 

 that it is probable the birds in question would, a few weeks 

 later, have been somewhat heavier. 



The Northern Partridge would seem to be more erratic 

 in its habits than_ours in England, owing, in part, probably 

 to a hard climate, and a somewhat sterile soil ; for it is 

 at times said to be met with in localities where one would 

 almost as soon expect to see a dodo ; as, for instance, in 

 the Wermeland Einn Eorest, to reach which they must of 

 necessity have passed over sevei'al miles of dense piiie 

 woods, without break or opening of any kind. It may 

 happen, however, that they are driven to such out-of-the- 

 way places by hawks or other birds of prey. 



Partridges are on the increase in the Peninsu^la, attri- 

 butable, in part, to the large extent of ground that of late 

 years has been brought into cultivation. Tlieir numbers, 

 however, fluctuate greatly ; for, on the occurrence of an 



