8 MATURAL HISTORY OF THE PARTRIDGE 
vessels at sea, though landrails and other short- 
winged birds frequently rest on sailing crafts during 
their migratory journeys. While thus limiting the 
migrations of the partridge, we would have it under- 
stood that our remarks on this head refer only to 
our island birds. On the Continent the partridge is 
probably a more decided migrant, or semi-migrant, 
than in our country, since it is exposed to greater 
extremes of heat and cold, whilst. its movements are 
hampered only by such imperfect barriers as moun- 
tain ranges or great rivers present. Even in Britain 
the partridge is a quasi-migrant, since coveys fre- 
quently perform short journeys—as, for example, across 
the Solway Firth. In this case the birds are appa- 
rently shifting from the slopes of the Dumfriesshire 
hills to the well-cultivated lands of the Cumbrian 
plain—-a journey of small extent, but involving their 
at least crossing the breadth of the Solway Firth 
where it contracts its area between the Sark and Esk. 
The natural inference is that the partridge has no 
objection to cross a mile or two of water, so that its 
continental range can hardly be limited by the courses 
of rivers. It would be unwise to push this point too 
far: That many partridges remain the greater part of 
the year in one and the same district we do not 
doubt. Indeed, it has been proved by intelligent 
