RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE 247 
cracks in dry clayey soils, and being unable to 
climb out again. It is worth notice that nearly 
all the birds which build upon the ground, and 
leave the nest almost as soon as hatched (like the 
Partridge, Moorhen, Mallard, and many others) 
also lay a larger number of eggs than most of the 
species which nest in trees and bushes. This 
seems to show that in spite of the young birds 
being largely able to shift for themselves almost 
at once, the death-rate among them is very great, 
and large families are absolutely necessary in order 
to keep up the stock. 
RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE. 
{Caccahis rufa.) 
French Partridge, Guernsey Partridge. — For 
more than a hundred years the Red-legged Part- 
ridge has flourished in many districts of England, 
being most common in parts of the midlands and 
eastern counties. Introduced originally from 
France, it is fond of arable land and a light, dry 
soil, and it is scarce or unknown in many western 
districts, where grass land is more prevalent, and 
the soil and climate are moister than generally in 
the east. It is a little larger than the Common 
