BRITISH BIRDS 355 



part of the neck is rusty chesnut, formed into a 

 stripe, which falls down towards the shoulders; the 

 rest of the neck is pale ash, inclining to blue, with 

 numerous longish spots of black; below this, to 

 the shoulders and breast, the plumage is rusty 

 brown, with a vinous reflection; the belly and 

 thighs pale rusty chesnut; the breast pale lead 

 grey; sides beautifully ornamented with stripes 

 composed of black, bright reddish chesnut, and 

 white; the upper parts of the plumage are rufous 

 brown, somewhat tinged with olive grey; quills 

 nearly the same, but darker, the outer edges yel- 

 lowish : vent brownish ash : the tail consists of six- 

 teen feathers, the middle ones greyish brown, the 

 outer ones deep reddish chesnut; under coverts of 

 the tail nearly the same; the legs are furnished 

 with a kind of double knob instead of a spur. 



These birds are found in various parts of the old 

 continent; and are common in Germany, France, 

 and Italy, the islands of Madeira, Guernsey, and 

 Jersey; but the accounts of their breeding in Eng- 

 land, are contradictory. In a wild state, they pre- 

 fer woody and heathy wastes to inclosed ground, 

 but they are easily tamed, and soon become offen- 

 sively familiar. Latham says they are " now and 

 then met with in England, but do not breed there." 

 Montagu says, " Notwithstanding many gentle- 

 men have turned out the Red-legged Partridge 

 upon their estates, with a view to propagate the 

 species at large, few have succeeded." He then, 

 in the next sentence, says, " Mr. Daniel assures 

 us that they are now plentiful near Orford, in Suf- 

 folk, by the Marquis of Hertford having imported 

 many thousand eggs, which were hatched under 



