CAUCASIAN SNOW PABTBIDGE. 113 



of Canclia, where, however, it was very rare, and only to be seen on 

 the peaks of the hills; as this is a point of some interest in the history 

 of this genus, I would beg to direct the attention of travellers to 

 the subject/' 



Mr. Gould also inserts an extract furnished him by Mr. G. R. 

 Gray, taken from one of the St. Petersburgh "Transactions," which is 

 as follows: — 



"This species builds on the highest summits of the rocky mountains 

 of the Caucasus; it prefers altogether the regions of snow, which it 

 never quits; thus when we desired to acclimatize the young chickens 

 of this Partridge on the plains of Kahetia, they did but survive the 

 spring. 



It runs on the rocks of the ledges of precipices with great agility, 

 and rises with a cry on the least danger, so that the most skilful 

 sportsman cannot approach within shot, except under cover or mists. 



They live in societies of from six to ten individuals, becoming the 

 inseparable companions of the goat, on the excrement of which they 

 feed during the winter months. 



In autumn it grows very fat, and its flesh resembles that of the 

 Common Partridge. In the crop of this gallinaceous bird I have found 

 a great quantity of sand and of small stones, mixed with all kinds 

 of seeds of alpine plants." 



In the "Ibis," vol. i, p. 116, the Editor gives an extract from 

 the journey of one Herr Kotschy into the Cilician Taurus in Asia 

 Minor, in which this bird is incidentally mentioned as being found 

 in company with the steinbock on the Taurus Mountains. He calls 

 it "a noble bird with a fine sounding call." As this is more than 

 half way from the Caucasus to Candia the statement adds strength 

 to that of Mr. Gould. 



The male has the top and sides of the head and nape what I 

 have called Partridge grey. Scapularies and all the rest of the upper 

 parts the same colour, finely dotted with light brown, and marked 

 on the wing coverts with broad longitudinal markings of what I may 

 also call Partridge brown, being similar to the well-known horse-shoe 

 colour of our Grey Partridge. Primaries of pure white, with about 

 an inch and a half of their distal extremities dull brown; the 

 secondaries having their general colour the same, but the brown 

 parts larger, and the outer web the same dotted grey as the upper 

 parts. Throat and sides of the neck white, the two parts being 

 separated by a broad band of Partridge brown, forming a double 

 horse-shoe of that colour. From this double horse-shoe to nearly the 

 middle of the abdomen, is a broad band of three inches and a half, 

 VOL. IV. Q 



