496 



(Erca&trg at Natural $ 



the female lays from fourteen to eighteen or 

 twenty eggs, of a greenish colour, making 

 her nest of withered leaves and grass upon 

 the ground. The young birds run as soon 

 as hatched, frequently encumbered with part 

 of the shell. The affection of the Partridge 

 for her young is peculiarly strong ; and she 

 is greatly assisted by her mate, in the care of 

 rearing them : they lead them out in com- 

 mon, call them together, gather for them 

 their proper food, and assist in finding it by 

 scratching the ground at first furnishing 

 them with the larvae of ants, on which they 

 principally feed while very young. It is no 

 unusual thing to introduce Partridges' eggs 

 under the domestic hen, who watches and 

 rears them as her own ; in which case the 

 young birds require to be fed with ants' eggs, 

 which are their favourite food, and without 

 which it is almost impossible to bring them 

 up. Care should be taken to supply them 

 well with fresh water : it is also recommended 

 to give them a mixture of wood-lice and 

 earwigs : and occasionally fresh curds, mixed 

 with lettuce, chickweed, or groundsel. They 

 likewise eat insects, and when full grown, 

 all kinds of grain and young plants. 



Whenever a dog or other formidable ani- 

 mal approaches the nest of a Partridge, the 

 hen practises every art to allure him from 

 the site : she keeps at a little distance before 

 him, feigning to be incapable of flight, and 

 just hopping up and falling down before him, 

 but never advancing to such a distance as to 

 discourage her pursuer : at length, having 

 successfully misled him, she at once takes 

 wing and disappears. The danger being over, 

 and the dog withdrawn, she returns and 

 finds her scattered brood, who immediately 

 assemble at her call, and follow her. Corn 

 fields are the places that Partridges most 

 delight in, especially while the corn is grow- 

 ing ; for that is a safe retreat, where they 

 remain undisturbed, and under which they 

 usually breed. They frequent the same fields 

 after the corn is cut down, but with a dif- 

 ferent intent ; for they then feed on such 

 corn as has dropped from the ears ; and find 

 a sufficient shelter under cover of the stalks, 

 especially in wheat stubble. When the 

 winter comes on, and the stubble fields are 

 trodden down or ploughed up, they some- 

 times retire to the upland meadows, where 

 they lodge in the high grass and among 

 rushes : they also sometimes resort to the 

 low coppice-woods, especially if they are con- 

 tiguous to corn lands. The eggs of these 

 birds are frequently destroyed by weasels, 

 foxes, &c., but still they are in general suf- 

 ficiently numerous to furnish the sportsman 

 with employment enough in the " shooting 

 season." The sexual ardour of the male has 

 been the theme of many writers on natural 

 history; and there are instances out of num- 

 ber in which the parental solicitude of the 

 female has justly called forth their eulogistic 

 admiration. Partridges are found throughout 

 nearly the whole of Europe, and nowhere 

 in greater plenty than in this island, the 

 north of France, Holland, and Germany. 



The RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE. (Perdix 

 rvfus.) A very beautiful and delicate bird, 



common in Barbary and South Europe ; 

 while it lias been introduced into Norfolk 

 and other parts of England : the bill is of 

 a fine scarlet colour ; the top of the head 

 is a bright chestnut, becoming more dusky 

 as it reaches the back part, and forming a 

 ring round the neck, beautifully varied with 

 small white spots. The sides of the head 

 and throat are of a light bluish ash-colour, 

 which gradually changes on the breast to a 



faint rose-colour : the belly, thighs, and 

 tail-coverts are light brown ; the upper side 

 of the neck, back, and wings are of a dark- 

 ish hue ; the prime quills of the wings are 

 tipped with a light yellowish brown colour ; 

 and the scapulars are a bright blue, bordered 

 with a dark red. The sides are covered 

 with beautiful feathers, transversely va- 

 riegated ; the tips are orange, within 'which 

 there are bars of black, succeeded by others 

 of wliite ; the rump is ash-coloured ; the 

 middle feathers of the tail are rather darker, 

 and transversely barred ; the side feathers 

 of the tail are ash colour towards their roots, 

 and their upper parts of a dirty orange. The 

 legs and feet are red ; and the claws are 

 brown. In South America the name of 

 Partridge is applied to species of the genus 

 TINAMUS [which seej. 



The PARTRIDGE BRONZEWING. [See 

 GEOPUAPS.] 



PARUS. A genus of Conirostral passerine 

 birds ; characterized by a conical beak, 

 straight, and rather slender, with few hairs 

 at its base, and a strong hind toe, armed ! 

 with a long hooked claw. They are active j 

 little birds, continually flitting from spray ; 

 to spray, suspending themselves in all sorts 

 of attitudes, rending apart the seeds on which 

 they feed, devouring insects, &c. They build 

 their nests in the holes of trees, and store up 

 provisions of grain. [See TOMTIT.] 



PASAN. A species of Egyptian Antelope- 



PASSENGER PIGEON. (Coluniba \Ec- , 

 topistes]migratt>ria.) This species abounds in j 

 America most prolifically ; but their numbers 

 can scarcely be conceived without seeing the ; 

 account given of them by the graphic pen of , 

 Wilson, the celebrated American ornitholo- I 

 gist. The Passenger Pigeon is of a bluish- i 

 late-colour, white underneath ; wings long, i 

 ind acuminated ; the throat, breast, and i 

 -ides vinaceous ; tail, of twelve feathers, the ' 

 two middle ones black, the lateral ones j 

 whitish ; bill black ; iris bright orange-red ; ' 



