340 



COMMON PARTRIDGE. 



Var. y. corpore toto albo, aut variegato. 



With the body entirely white, or variegated. ^ 

 Perdix cinerea y. Lath. Ind. Orn. 2. 646. — Temm, Gall, Ind, 

 731. (c.) 



Perdrix blanche. Temm. Pig, et Gall. 3. 400. 



This well known and elegant bird is generally 

 about thirteen inches in length : beneath and be- 

 hind the eyes is a naked pale red space, which is 

 most conspicuous in old birds : the forehead, the 

 sides of the head, and the throat, are rufous ; the 

 upper part of the head is reddish-brown, with 

 longitudinal yellowish lines : the upper part of 

 the neck is transversely varied with dusky -grey, 

 and a tinge of red : the back, the rump, and the 

 ripper tail-coverts, are the same, each feather 

 having a narrow transverse red band towards its 

 tip : the wing-coverts and the scapulars are of a 

 deeper hue than the back, and are varied with 

 large reddish spots \ each feather having a reddish 

 white stripe down the shaft : the under part of the 

 neck and the breast are bluish grey, marked with 

 transverse black lines, and sprinkled with small 

 reddish spots: the lower part of the breast is 

 adorned with a rich gorget of deep chesnut, similar 

 in form to a horseshoe ; the feathers of the sides 

 are grey, varied with black waved lines, and to- 

 wards their tip have a large spot of red : the mid- 

 dle of the belly is whitish : the quills are brown, 

 with reddish yellow zigzag stripes : the tail con- 

 sists of eighteen feathers, the lateral ones are ru- 

 fous, tipped with grey ; and those of the middle 

 similar to the back : the beak is generally greenish : 



