66 lewis' AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. 



and enriched our libraries witli their splendid works, it would 

 seem superfluous, if not really hopeless, in us to attempt to add 

 anything further upon a subject thus dwelt upon by others far 

 more competent to the task. However, as we propose bringing 

 to the notice of our readers the practical experience of Shooters 

 in general, in connection with the more scientific observations 

 and researches of Ornithologists, regarding all those Birds of 

 our country which properly belong to the Sportsman's cata- 

 logue, we must be pardoned, ex necessitate rermn^ for going over 

 much ground already touched upon by other writers, and which 

 may be learned from any of the excellent works already pub- 

 lished on this branch of Natural History. 

 V"The Partridge is nine inches long, and fourteen inches in 

 extent ; the bill is black ; line over the eye, down the neck, and 

 whole chin pure white, bounded by a band of black, which de- 

 scends and spreads broadly over the throat; the eye is dark 

 hazel ; down neck and upper part of the breast, red brown ; 

 sides of the neck spotted with white and black, on a reddish- 

 brown ground ; back scapulars and lesser coverts, red brown 

 intermixed with ash, and sprinkled with black ; tertials edged 

 with yellowish-white, beautifully marked with numerous curv- 

 ing spots or arrowheads of black ; tail, ash sprinkled with red- 

 dish-brown ; legs, very pale ash." 



The above accurate description (as well as the major part of 

 the other scientific descriptions of Birds in this work), taken 

 from Wilson, being so perfect in itself, there remains nothing 

 to add, except that the female Bird is distinguished from the 

 male by its diminished weight and size, and also by its plumage 

 being somewhat yellowish-brown about the chin and sides of 

 the head. 



HABITS. 



Partridges, in sections of the country where they are much 

 troubled by Sportsmen, become extremely shy and wild, seldom 

 venturing far into the open fields, but confine themselves to 

 the edges of close cover, to which they take at the slightest 

 alarm, secreting themselves in the thickets, and not unfre- 

 quently perching upon the branches of the largest forest trees. 



