234 CAUCASIAN SNOW PARTRIDGE. 



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 the birds 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. E. Gray, taken from one of the St. Petersburg 

 "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 of 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 Kotschv 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, 



