THE PARTRIDGES 2175 



upper mandible is notched. The division between the first two groups is, however, 

 artificial, for the partridges merge into the pheasants, the bamboo partridges 

 {Bambusicola) , the African and Indian spur fowls {Ptilopachys and Galloperdix} be- 

 ing the principal intermediate forms. The shape of the wing is almost the only 

 characteristic of any importance for distinguishing these groups; all the pheasants, 

 except the typical genus, having the first primary quill shorter than the tenth, 

 whereas in the partridge the former is equal to or longer than the latter. Unfor- 

 tunately , the exception among the former is the genus Phasianus, which has the 

 first primary longer than the tenth, while, on the other hand, in some of the par- 

 tridges the tenth is somewhat the longer. It is only by using the supplementary 

 character of the length of the tail, coupled with the shape of the wing, that it can 

 be decided to which of these divisions some of the species should be referred. Thus 

 the first group of partridges may be briefly characterized as having the first primary 

 quill longer than or equal to (rarely shorter than) the tenth, and the length of the 

 tail less, usually much less, than that of the wing. 



The snow partridge (Lerwa nivicola), inhabiting the higher Hima- 

 layan ranges and extending eastward into Western China, which is 

 PeirtridcTcs 



somewhat peculiar in having the upper half of the legs feathered, has 



Cocks t ^ ie plumage of the upper parts in both sexes black, narrowly 

 barred with white and rufous, while the general color of the breast, 

 and under parts is deep chestnut, and the coral-red legs are armed in the male with 

 stout spurs; the tail having fourteen feathers. Closely allied to but distinguished by 

 their larger size, differently-shaped wing, and tail of eighteen feathers, are the two 

 rare species of pheasant grouse ( Tetraophasis} from the highlands of Central and 

 Eastern Tibet, and from them we pass to the snow cocks which are the giants 

 among the tribe, and only found at great elevations in the mountains of Asia. The 

 Himalayan snow cock {Tetrogallus himalayensis) , one of the largest of the six 

 species, and not much inferior to the capercaillie in size, ranges through the West- 

 ern Himalayas to the Hindu- Kush, and northward through the Altai. In the 

 male the feathers of the upper parts are mostly gray, finely mottled and margined 

 with buff, while there is a large chestnut patch on each side of the nape, and a 

 band of the same color surrounds the throat, which, together with the chin and eye- 

 brow stripes, is white. The breast is white barred with black, and the rest of the 

 under parts mostly gray, the sides and flanks being margined with chestnut and 

 buff. The female scarcely differs in plumage, but may be distinguished by her 

 smaller size and the absence of the blunt spurs of the male. These birds are con- 

 fined to the snowy ranges above the limits of forest, but are driven by the snows of 

 winter to perform one or in some places two annual migrations to the middle 

 regions. In summer they are only seen near the limits of vegetation, but from June 

 till August, however much the sportsmen may wander on the highest accessible 

 places of the Gangetic hills, only a few are met with, the majority, no doubt, retir- 

 ing across the snowy range into Chinese Tibet to breed. At the beginning of Sep- 

 tember they are first seen near the top of the higher grassy ridges, and after the 

 first general severe fall of snow come down in numbers on some of the bare exposed 

 hills in the forest regions, where they remain till the end of March. Gregarious, 



