THE PARTRIDGE. 479 



humming-birds, and looks as if one of those glittering little beings had been suddenly magni- 

 fied to a thousand times its size. The plumage of the Inrpeyan Pheasant has the appearance 

 of having been cut out of thin flakes of nacre or mother-of-pearl, their shining polished sur- 

 face, their deep changing hues of azure, metallic-green, amethystine-purple, and fiery-orange, 

 being just like the effect produced by the finest nacre when rightly cut. 



Although possessed of such flashing hues, which are mostly the offspring of a tropical sun, 

 the Impeyan Pheasant inhabits the cold, snowy regions of the Himalayas. This wondrously 

 magnificent bird breeds without difficulty, and endures severe frosts with impunity. As far 

 as is known, it remains entirely in the higher regions of its native land, and never descends to 

 the plains. The food of this bird consists mostly of bulbous roots, which it diss out of the 

 ground with its peculiarly curved and sharp beak. Even in captivity the Impeyan Pheasant 

 will often indulge in many quaint and grotesque actions, especially towards the pairing-time, 

 when all birds like to show themselves off to the best advantage. 



The coloring of this gorgeous bird maybe briefly described as follows: The head and 

 throat are of a metallic golden-green, and the feathers of the crest are bare shafted for the 

 greater part of their length, and spread at their tips into flattened spatula-shaped ends. The 

 lower part of the neck and top of the back are rich shining purple with green and red reflec- 

 tions, and the feathers are all lancet-shaped. Across The lower part of the back there is a 

 broad band of pure snowy-white, and the tail is reddish-brown, barred irregularly with a 

 darker hue. The rest of the plumage is deep steely blue. The legs are spurred, and the gen- 

 eral form is strong and robust. The female is a very sober-plumaged bird, without the lofty 

 crest or gorgeous colors of her mate. Her feathers are mostly dull brown, mottled with gray 

 and ochry-yellow, and there is a broad white patch under the chin and throat. She is also 

 smaller than her mate. 



PARTRIDGES. 



Of the many members of the Perdicine group, we shall take only five examples, the first 

 of which is the well-known Partridge. 



This bird, so dear to sportsmen, is found spread over the greater part of Europe and North 

 America, always being found most plentifully near cultivated ground. It feeds upon various 

 substances, such as grain and seeds in the autumn, and green leaves and insects in the spring 

 and early summer. In all probability this bird, although it may do some damage to the corn- 

 fields, may still be very useful to the farmer by its unceasing war upon the smaller " vermin," 

 that devastate the fields and injure the crops. Small slugs are a favorite diet with the Par- 

 tridge, which has a special faculty for discovering them in the recesses where they hide them- 

 selves during the day, and can even hunt successfully after the eggs of these destructive 

 creatures. Caterpillars are also eaten by this bird, and the terrible black grub of the turnip is 

 consumed in great numbers by the Partridges. Even the white cabbage butterfly, whose 

 numerous offspring are so hurtful in the kitchen garden, falls a victim to the quick-eyed Par- 

 tridge, which leaps into the air and seizes it in its beak as the white-winged pest comes flutter- 

 ing unsuspectingly over the bird's head. 



The Partridge begins to lay about the end of April, gathering together a bundle of dried 

 grasses into some shallow depression in the ground, and depositing therein a clutch of eggs, 

 generally from twelve to twenty in number. Sometimes a still greater number have been 

 found, but in these cases it is tolerably evident from many observations that several birds have 

 laid in the same nest. Now and then a number of pheasants' eggs arc found in the nest of a 

 Partridge, and vice versa, the pheasant seeming, however, to be the usurper in most instances. 

 The Partridge is singularly careless of the position of her nest, placing it in the most exposed 

 situations, and sitting upon the eggs with perfect contentment, although within a yard or two 

 of a footpath. Indeed. 1 have found the nest of this bird, with six or seven eggs, so close to a 

 frequented pathway running through a little copse, that a careless step to one side might have 

 broken the eggs. In color the eggs are not unlike those of the pheasant, being of a smooth 

 olive-brown. 



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