106 



dental occurrence, and attempts to naturalize it in the vicinity of Liege have resulted in failure. 

 Throughout the whole of France it is generally distributed, being, however, local and somewhat 

 rare in the northern districts, but extremely numerous in the south. The Eev. A. C. Smith (Ibis, 

 1868, p. 450) says this is the only recognized Partridge of Portugal, and is very abundant; and 

 that Dr. Tristram writes of it: — "Your specimen is much brighter than our English Eed-leg; the 

 chestnut on the head and upper back is much brighter, and the ash-brown of the lower back 

 much more distinct and contrasted with the rufous above ; the ochreous abdomen and lower tail- 

 coverts are much paler." But Dr. E. Eey, writing in 1872, says (J. f. O. 1872, p. 154) that it is 

 now nowhere common in that country, chiefly owing to the law which permits free shooting, 

 though wild cats may to some extent have assisted in diminishing its numbers. In Spain it is 

 extremely common, and, as Lord Lilford states (Ibis, 1875, p. 8), "is the Partridge of Spain, 

 from Irun to Tarifa, and from Lisbon to Barcelona;" but it does not occur on the Eock of 

 Gibraltar, where Caccabis petrosa is alone found. Mr. Howard Saunders speaks also of it as 

 being " common everywhere " in Spain. In the Balearic Islands the present species is the only 

 species of the family which occurs ; and Lord Lilford says this is the case also in Corsica and Elba. 

 In Switzerland it is said (J. f. O. 1860, p. 393) to be rare, and unknown in the neighbourhood of 

 Boll ; but it occurs in limited numbers in the Jura and in some parts of Canton Wallis. Bailly 

 says that in Savoy it is more numerous than Caccabis saxatilis, but less so than the common 

 Grey Partridge; and on the mainland of Italy it is generally distributed and numerous; but 

 Lord Lilford says it becomes decidedly scarce in the southern provinces, and he never met with 

 a specimen in the markets of Naples. In Sardinia and Sicily it does not occur ; and Mr. C. A. 

 Wright includes it (Ibis, 1869, p. 252) amongst doubtful occurrences in his third appendix to 

 his " List of Birds observed in Malta and Gozo." I do not find any record of its occurrence 

 further eastward, except that Dr. A. Fritsch, writing on the ornithology of Bohemia, says (J. f. O. 

 1871, p. 313) that attempts were made to introduce it in the Trauenberg district in 1S63; and 

 about ten years previously Count Furstenberg made a similar trial in the Piirglitzer forest, which 

 did not succeed, as the birds could not stand the severe winters. It is stated by Dr. L. Buvry 

 (J. f. O. 1857, p. 67) to occur in North-west Africa; but neither Loche nor any other of the 

 later writers on North-west African ornithology includes it, and Loche states positively that only 

 Caccabis petrosa is found in Algeria. 



It occurs at Madeira and in the Azores, in the latter, according to Mr. Godman, inhabiting 

 the eastern and central groups — and is said to be very abundant in the mountains of St. Mary's, 

 and occasionally found at St. Michael's and Terceira. 



From personal experience I know scarcely any thing respecting the habits of this Partridge, 

 and cannot do better than transcribe Mr. Stevenson's notes on it as observed by him in Norfolk. 

 This gentleman writes (B. of Norfolk, i. p. 408) as follows : — " The shy, restless nature of this 

 species, continually ' footing it ' before the guns, and taking wing only when closely pressed or 

 far out of reach of any ordinary fowling-piece, renders it particularly obnoxious to sportsmen on 

 the more closely cultivated and enclosed portions of the country. In such districts many are 

 the volleys of something more than small shot called forth by the provoking habits of these 

 birds in the early part of the season. No sooner do the guns enter the turnips at one end of 

 the field, than the wary Frenchmen are seen topping the opposite fences one after another, 



