THE COLOURS OF PARTRIDGES 57 



colour.' ' Reddish varieties are comparatively scarce, 

 but Mr. Borrer once met with a covey of eight, every 

 bird of which was of a light fawn colour. A well- 

 known variety which crops up from time to time 

 in Great Britain is the form which the late Sir 

 W. Jardine designated Perdix montana. It occurs 

 plentifully enough in the Vosges Mountains, but has 

 received but little notice in this country. 



Writing in the 'Field' of September 30, 1893, 

 Mr. W. B. Tegetmeier records a bird of this variety, 

 which came under his notice in the autumn of 1893. 

 It had been shot on September 25, in the neighbour- 

 hood of Stourbridge, out of a covey of partridges 

 of the ordinary colour, from which it was readily 

 distinguished. ' The head and upper part of the 

 neck are of a lighter brown than in the common 

 bird ; the lower part of the neck, upper part of the 

 breast, the flanks, the back, and the wing coverts are 

 dark reddish ferruginous brown ; the feathers of the 

 upper wing coverts having a central narrow stripe of 

 light brown. There is an entire absence of the slatey 

 grey character of P. cinerea. On the sternum the 

 feathers are light buff, each being tipped with two dark 

 brown circular spots, one on each side of the central 

 shaft. The feathers of the legs and vent are buff; the 

 1 Field, February 7, 1891. 



