8 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE PARTRIDGE 



vessels at sea, though landrails and other short- 

 winged birds frequently rest on sailing crafts during 

 their migratory journeys. While thus limiting the 

 migrations of the partridge, we would have it under- 

 stood that our remarks on this head refer only to 

 our island birds, On the Continent the partridge is 

 probably a more decided migrant, or semi-migrant, 

 than in our country, since it is exposed to greater 

 extremes of heat and cold, whilst its movements are 

 hampered only by such imperfect barriers as moun- 

 tain ranges or great rivers present. Even in Britain 

 the partridge is a quasi-migrant, since coveys fre- 

 quently perform short journeys as, for example, across 

 the Solway Firth. In this case the birds are appa- 

 rently shifting from the slopes of the Dumfriesshire 

 hills to the well -cultivated lands of the Cumbrian 

 plain a journey of small extent, but involving their 

 at least crossing the breadth of the Solway Firth 

 where it contracts its area between the Sark and Esk. 

 The natural inference is that the partridge has no 

 objection to cross a mile or two of water, so that its 

 continental range can hardly be limited by the courses 

 of rivers. It would be unwise to push this point too 

 far. That many partridges remain the greater part of 

 the year in one and the same district we do not 

 doubt. Indeed, it has been proved by intelligent 



