THE PARTRIDGE AT HOME AND ABROAD 9 



men, who have recognised white and pied birds 

 which could not be mistaken for strangers. 



The range of the partridge in Britain includes 

 such a variety of districts, from the water-meadows 

 of the midlands to the slopes of western isles that are 

 bathed in the mists of the Atlantic for many months 

 of the year, that we can hardly affect surprise at 

 learning that its range in Europe is very extensive, as 

 becomes a hardy and vigorous species, which has 

 maintained its position in the face of many difficulties. 

 It is not found in Eastern Asia, where its place is 

 taken by an allied species, smaller in size, having the 

 horse-shoe of the breast deep black instead of chest- 

 nut, as in our home bird. The only other representa- 

 tive of the Old World genus to which our partridge 

 belongs, and of which it is the type, must be looked 

 for in Thibet and along the Himalayas from the 

 borders of Cashmere to Sikkim. This has a promi- 

 nent horse-shoe, but is more distantly related to our 

 bird. The latter is local in Asia east of the Urals, 

 but appears to be generally distributed over the 

 steppes of Southern Russia. Nor is the partridge 

 peculiar to the steppe region. Of recent years its 

 range has extended northwards, and now embraces 

 governments to which it was an entire stranger within 

 the knowledge of many residents. It seems, in fact 



