96 TETRAONID.E. 



After a short interval we went with one of the pointers to 

 look for the land-rails, and the dog put up ten land-rails 

 within a very short time, certainly less than half an hour, and 

 only one bird at a time. Thus much for the credit of the 

 dog : further, also, it is necessary to say, that the Partridges 

 and pheasants were found by the same pointer dog in Sep- 

 tember and October, as they were wanted, in the before- 

 mentii.ned field and common. 



Spaniel clogs should never be allowed to range about 

 preserves while birds are sitting, for fear of disturbing them 

 unnecessarily. 



When young Partridges run about before they are fully able 

 to fly, they are exposed to many dangers, namely, from buz- 

 zards, carrion crows, and hawks ; many also fall a prey to 

 cats. 



The Partridge measures about thirteen inches in length. 

 The beak is bluish horn-colour ; the iris a warm dusky. The 

 general colouring of its plumage is a brown ochre, spotted and 

 pencilled over with black. The back and wing-coverts are 

 streaked with chesnut ; forehead and sides of the face clean 

 and rich brown ochre ; above, below, and behind the eye, the 

 bird has a granulated red skin. On the breast the male has a 

 deep chesnut-coloured mark, shaped like a horse-shoe ; over 

 the eyes, beginning on the forehead, runs a pearl grey narrow 

 band, extending down the ear- coverts, spreading over the 

 neck, throat, and upper part of the breast, which is further 

 continued to the side feathers, that mostly cover the wings; 

 and on these side feathers are several beautiful broad bay- 

 coloured dashes, as represented in our plate. 



Our plate represents a mature male bird ; the female only 

 differs in having less clear colouring of the feather, and little 

 of the red skin about the eyes. 



The egg figured 158 is that of the Partridge. 



