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The White Partridge. 
T n I S Bird is of a middle Size, between our common Partridge and a Pheafanty and fhaped 
much like a Partridge^ except that its Tail is a little longer. 
The Bill is Black *, the Noftrils covered with fmall white Feathers, turning forward ; the un- 
der Chop of the Bill has alfo white Feathers at its Root ; the Eyes are encompaffed with 
a narrow Space of white Feathers; above each Eye are loofe Eye-brows, faftened only at their 
Bottoms, rifing on each Side higher than the Crown of the Head, of an Inch Length, and half 
an Inch Breadth, compofed of a Subftance like Plufh, or the Skin round the Eyes of a Cock 
Pheafanty of a fine Red Colour: The Head and Neck are of a Reddilh Brown, barred a-crofs 
with fine Lines of Black, a few white Feathers being intermixed in the fore Part of the Neck : 
The Middle of the Back is White, as is the whole Wing, except the Shafts of the greater 
Quills, which are Black : The variegated Feathers at the Bottom of the Neck do not break off 
very fuddenly, but are fprinkled on the Beginning of the Back, and between the Back and 
Wings on each Side ; there is a fprinkling of them alfo on the Breaft, and feme few in the co- 
vert Feathers on the upper Side of the Tail: The two middle Feathers of the Tail are variegated 
tranfverfly with Brown and Black in the fame Manner as thofe on the Neck, The two 
next on each Side White ; the remaining outermofl Tail Feathers of a dirty Brown or Black Co- 
lour, tipp’d with White : The Belly, Sides, Infides of the Wings, covert Feathers under the 
Tail, Legs and Feet, to the Ends of the Toes, are wholly covered with white Feathers, thofe 
on the Legs and Feet refembling Hair more than Feathers: The Claws are of a Brown Colour, 
and pretty long, but lb mething flatter than what is common in Birds. 
The fluffed Skin of this Bird is preferved at Sir Hans Sloane*Sy from which I made my Draught 
and Defeription. Mr. Light y who is now returned from Hudfords Bay to Englandy on feeing this 
Bird, faid it was the Cock Bird, as it appears in the Spring, when it is changing from White 
to Brown *, their Feathers being in Winter of a perfedl fnowy Whitenefs, except the outer Fea- 
thers of the Tail, which are Black tipp’d with White; they begin to change in the Spring, 
and become Brown on their upper Sides, the Belly remaining moflly White. 
Mr. Light brought one of thefe Birds from Hudfon*s Bajy and gave it me, which was perfedl- 
ly White; he fhot it there in the Winter, and affures me, on his own Knowledge, that thele 
Birds towards Evenit^ repofe themfelves under the Snow, (which in that Country is loofe, 
like fine dry Sand) where they continue all Night, and in the Morning fly diredlly up to fhake 
off the Snow; he hath often feen them rife, and found their Dung in their fnowy Lodgings: 
He fays they are obferved to feed only in the Morning and Evening in Winter, and fun them- 
felves in the Middle of the Day. They are Natives of Hudfon*s Bayy where they breed, and 
continue ail the Year; but are common both to America and Europe, I have rtceived the very 
fame Birds from Norzvay ; and all our Treatifes on Birds deferibe them very exadlly, and place 
them in the Mountains of Switzerlandy Italvy Spainy &c. It is not properly a PartridgCy but 
of that Kind we call Heath Game^ and Aldrovandy Lagopus avis. You will find him deferibed 
in his Winter’s Drefs in Willoughby^?, Ornithology, Pag. ij6, 
TheBird I took my Draught from, above deferibed, had the Red on the Eye-brows much 
wider than I .ever faw it in any among the great Number I have feen, it being hardly percep- 
tible in fome when the Skins are dry ; which makes me think this was an old Cock in the Sea- 
fon of his full Vigour, for weobferve that the Combs of our common Poultry are much larger 
and redder in the Spring than in the Winter Time. As I find that fome of the Particulars which 
1 have difeovered relating to this Bird are entirely new, I hope the Curious will not think my 
Labour and their Coft wholly thrown away, notwithftanding it hath been long ago de- 
Icribed, and is well known to the Curious. It hath efcaped Mr. Aibhf?, Notice, 
The 
