THK i'ahtridqe.] by riELD, WOOD, AND WATER. [the i-artiudoe. 



('iia]'ti:k v. 



Tin: I'.VKTllIDGK. 



TiiK pnrtridgo of Crltnin (Tttrao I'crdix, 

 Limi.) is of two kinds; the one is the grey, or 

 common partridge ; and the other is sometimes 

 termed the French partridge. Bewick tlius 

 describes the common partridge : — " It is 

 about thirteen inches in length. Bill liglit- 

 browu, eyes hazel ; the general colour of its 

 plumage is brown and ash, beautifully mixed 

 with black. Each feather is streaked down 

 the middle with bufl', and the sides of the head 

 are tawny. Under each ej'e is a small saffron- 

 coloured spot, which has a granulated appear- 

 ance ; and between the eye and the ear there is 

 a naked portion of skin, of a bright scarlet, which 

 is not very conspicuous except in old birds. 

 There is a crescent on the breast, of a deep 

 chestnut ; and the tail is short and drooping ; 

 the legs are a greenish white, and furnished 

 with a small knob behind. The female has no 

 crescent on her breast, and her plumage, in 

 general, is not so distinctive and bright as that 

 of the male. The moult takes place once 

 a year." It was long a received opinion among 

 sportsmen as well as naturalists, that the 

 female partridge has none of the bay feathers 

 on the breast, like the male. This, however, 

 on dissection, was proved to be a mistake ; for 

 Mr. i\Iontague, happening to kill nine birds in 

 one day, with a very slight variation as to 

 the bay mark on the breast, was led to open 

 them all, and found that live of them were 

 females. On carefully examining the plumage, 

 he found that the males could only be known 

 by the superior brightness of colour about the 

 head ; which alone, after the first or second 

 year, seems to be the mark of didLinction. 

 Partridges are chiefly found in temperate 

 climates, the extremes of heat and cold beins: 

 equally unfavourable to them. The female 

 lays from fourteen to eighteen or twenty eggs, 

 making her nest of dry leaves and grass, upon 

 the ground. The young birds run as soon as 

 hatched, frequently encumbered with a part of 

 the shell attached to them. The affection of 



the partridgo for her young is peculiarly 

 strong and lively ; slie is also greatly assisted 

 in the care of rearing them by her mate ; they 

 lead them in common; call them togetlier; 

 gather for them their suitable food, and as- 

 sist in i)rocuring it by scratching the ground. 

 I They frequently sit close to each other, 

 , covering their offspring like the common hen. 

 In this situation they are not easily flushed : 

 j the sportsman who is attentive to the preserva- 

 I tion of his game, will carefully avoid giving any 

 j disturbance to a scene so truly interesting; 

 but should the pointer come too near, or run 

 in upon them, there are few who are ignorant 

 of the confusion tliat follows. The male first 

 gives the signal of alarm by a peculiar cry of 

 distress, throwing himself, at the same time, 

 more immediately in the way of danger, 

 in order to mislead the enemy : he flies, or 

 rather runs along the ground, hanging his 

 wings, and exhibiting every symptom of de- 

 bility, in order to decoy the dog, in the too 

 eager expectation of an easy prey, to a dis- 

 tance from the covey. The female flies off in 

 a contrary direction, and to a greater distance ; 

 but returns soon after by secret paths ; and she 

 then commonly finds her scattered brood 

 closely squatted among the grass, when she 

 collects them with haste, and leads them from 

 the danger, before the dog has had time to re- 

 turn from the pursuit. 



The partridge subsists chiefly upon grain, 

 along with small seeds from other plants. 

 Her nest is made on the ground in grass fields, 

 among standing corn, in clover, in furze, and 

 sometimes even at the top of a ditch. The 

 eggs are generally laid in the month of May; 

 and, from this time to the latter end of June, 

 the process of nidification takes place. In all 

 the stages of this natural process, the male 

 bird takes a certain share. AVheu the brood 

 is hatched, he manifests the greatest solici- 

 tude, and leads them abroad in search of ants' 

 eggs, and larvaj among insects, llis call is iu 



541 



