THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 443 



242. Partridge [RKBHUHN]. 

 TETRAO PERDIX, Linn. 1 



Perdix cinerea. Naumann, vi. 477. 



Partridge. Dresser, vii. 131. 



Perdrix gris. Temminck, Manuel, ii. 488, iv. 334. 



The occurrence of the Partridge on this island had been repeat- 

 edly reported to me, but none of these cases proved to be sufficiently 

 reliable. At last, however, on the 17th of July 1889, one of these 

 birds was actually caught here. It was a beautiful calm day, with 

 a very light east wind. A large folding door, looking east, in the 

 hall of a public beer-garden, happened to be open, and through this 

 a bird flew straight against a mirror hanging on the opposite wall ; 

 it fell to the ground somewhat stunned, and was seized with the 

 hands. Unfortunately, it was at once plucked, and when I saw it 

 only the feathers of the head were left. The bird was a female. 



This species breeds through the whole of central Europe, and in 

 Sweden even beyond 66 N. latitude. 



243. Common Quail [WACHTEL]. 

 TETRAO COTURNIX, Linn. 2 



Heligolandish: Liitj Tuck. Tuck being Heligolandish name for Quail. 



Perdix coturnix. Naumann, vi. 575. 



Common Quail. Dresser, vii. 143. 



La Caille. Temminck, Mamiel, ii. 491, iv. 334. 



This small and pretty bird is a very rare visitor here, it being 

 hardly possible even to obtain one or two of them every year ; the 

 summer of 1878, however, proved an exception to this rule. At 

 the beginning of August of that year so many of them were heard 

 uttering their call-notes from the potato-plots, that our gunners 

 were of opinion that a pair had bred here, and that it was their 

 numerous progeny which were so prominently attracting our 

 attention. It is, however, hardly likely that birds of such tender age 

 would have their linguistic powers developed sufficiently to enable 

 them to call out ' Flick de Biix ' 3 distinctly. 



1 Perdix cinerea (Lath.). 2 Coturnix communis, Bonnaterre. 



3 Onomatopoeic rendering of call-note probably equals the German Buck den 

 Ruck, ' Bend your back,' (see Yarrell, Brit. Birds, iii. 129). The English rendering 

 is ' Wet my lips,' very similar in sound to the Heligolandish. Flick de Biix in all 

 probability means 'Mend your breeches.' Translator. 



