RED LEGGED PARTRIDGE. 355 



sits closely, and when driven from the nest makes little 

 or no demonstration, and generally flies right away at 

 once. 



RANGE OF EGG COLOURATION AND MEASUREMENT : 

 The eggs of the Red-legged Partridge are from twelve 

 to eighteen in number, and often laid at intervals of 

 a few days. They vary from buff to brownish-yellow in 

 ground colour, spotted and speckled with reddish-brown 

 and chocolate-brown ; the shell is strong and somewhat 

 coarsely grained, but with some polish. The eggs of 

 this bird are not subject to any great amount of varia- 

 tion, but some are more profusely spotted than others, 

 and on some a few of the larger markings are irregular 

 in shape and more blotchy. Average measurement, 

 I '6 inch in length, by 1*2 inch in breadth. Incubation, 

 performed by the female, lasts twenty-four days. 



DIAGNOSTIC CHARACTERS : The size of the egg and 

 the character of the markings readily distinguish it from 

 that of any other species breeding in our area. 



Family PHASIANID^E. Genus PERDIX. 



Sub-family PERDICIN&. 



COMMON PARTRIDGE. 



PERDIX CINEREA, Brisson. 



Single Brooded. Laying season, end of April to beginning of 



June. 



BRITISH BREEDING AREA : The Common Partridge 

 is generally distributed throughout the agricultural dis- 

 tricts of the British Islands, and in a few more upland 

 localities (as, for instance, near Dartmoor and other 



