338 
PERDIX. PARTRIDGE. 
Generic Character, 
^o^^rwmbreve,bas"i glabrum; 
maxilla superiore incur- 
vato-fornicata. 
Nares basales, margine pro- 
minulae. 
Orhitce nudae papillosae. 
Cauda brevis, deflexa. 
Pedes tetradactyli, nudi, aut 
calcarati, aut mutici. 
Aloe breves. 
Beak short, smooth at the 
base ; the upper mandible 
arched and bent down. 
I Nostrils basal, with the mar- 
I gin prominent. 
I Orbits naked, warted. 
j Tail short, bent down. 
Feet four-toed, naked, with 
spurs or smooth. 
Wings short. 
Perdix. Kay. Briss. Lath, Cuv. Tern. Leach. Vied. Nilss, 
Tetrao. Linn. Gmel. 
The birds of this genus live entirely upon the 
ground in open fields, never frequenting the woods 
or perching upon trees : they live upon seeds and 
insects, and the females deposit their eggs in a 
rude nest formed of grass and other herbs : the 
young remain with the parents till the breeding 
season, when they divide, and provide for their 
future progeny : they are monogamous. Their beak 
is shorter and weaker than in the preceding genus : 
the tarsi of the males are but slightly spurred, and 
in some of the species have only a simple tubercle: 
the females have their tarsi smooth : their tail is 
short, and has a tendency to descend. 
