452 BRITISH BIRDS. 



PERDIX CINEREA. 

 COMMON PARTRIDGE. 



(PLATE 21.) 



Perdix cinerea, firiss. Orn. i. p. 219 (1760); Lath. Gen. Syn. Suppl. i. p. 290 (1787) 



et auctorum plurimorum Temminck, Naumann, Dresser, Saunders, Sec. 

 Perdix cinereo-alba ; ~\ 



Perdix damascena, > Briss. Orn. i. p. 223 (1760). 

 Perdix montana, J 

 Tetrao perdix, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 276 (1766). 



Tetrao damascenus (Briss.~), ] 



/ r> \ > Gmel. Smt. Nat. \. p. 758 (1788). 

 Tetrao montanus (Bnss.), \ 



Perdix vulgaris, Leach, Syst. Cat. Mamm. fyc. Brit. Mus. p. 27 (1815). 

 Perdix cineracea, Brehm, Vog. Deutschl. p. 525 (1831). 

 Starna cinerea (Briss.\ Bonap. Comp. List B. Eur. fy N. Amer. p. 43 (1838). 

 Starna perdix (Linn.'), Bonap. Cat. Parzud. p. 13 (1856). 



The Partridge is a resident in all the cultivated districts of the British 

 Islands where game is preserved. It is not found in the Outer Hebrides, 

 but it has been successfully introduced into the Orkneys. In the eastern 

 counties of England it has been partially exterminated by the Red-legged 

 Partridge, but still occurs locally in these counties. 



The range of the Common Partridge begins where that of the Red-legged 

 Partridge and its allies ceases. West of a line from Brussels to Venice 

 the Common Partridge is rare or local, and apparently in the process of 

 being exterminated by the stronger species. It is still found in some parts 

 of North Spain and North France and in the plains of Italy ; but it does 

 not extend to Sicily nor to any of the Mediterranean islands. It is found 

 throughout Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and in the plains of 

 Austria and North Turkey in the valley of the Danube. In Scandinavia it 

 almost reaches the Arctic circle, but is very local, being continually 

 partially exterminated by severe winters. In West Russia it occurs as far 

 north as lat. 60, but in East Russia only to lat. 58, and as far south 

 as the Caucasus; east of these mountains it ranges into Central Asia and 

 North Persia. In West Siberia it is found as far north as lat. 57, where 

 it appears to be migratory, wintering in North Turkestan. Its range in 

 South-west Siberia is not very accurately determined ; but Middendorff met 

 with it in the Barabinska Steppe. Finsch did not notice that the Partridge 

 of that district differed from the European bird ; but in the Altai Moun- 

 tains Perdix cinerea var. robusta occurs, a larger and greyer form. In 

 East Russian Turkestan and South-east Siberia, East Mongolia, North-east 

 Thibet, and North China, P. barbata occurs a smaller species, with the 

 breast-mark black instead of dark chestnut, and with the feathers on the 



