64 
TETRAONIDiE. 
Some years ago, a partridge in good condition, and having the 
perfect use of its wings, was captured at an early hour of the 
morning in the street portion of Donegal-square, Belfast, and 
taken to a friend of mine, well known to be fond of birds. Its 
wildness denoted that the bird had not escaped from captivity. 
After being kept for some days in a town-yard the captive was set at 
liberty, when it immediately rose high into the air and flew off to 
the country. Its captor had no indication of what brought the 
bird to town ; but it had probably been pursued from the country 
by a hawk. The friend alluded to had a partridge in confinement 
for some time in Belfast, which exhibited so strong a pugnacious 
propensity that its exploits in this way were often witnessed with 
much amusement. Birds of aU kinds, including well-grown pullets, 
of the domestic fowl — both cocks and hens — were, on being 
placed in the inclosure with it, immediately attacked. It flew 
instantaneously with great force and energy against any bird in- 
troduced to its domicile, bringing the weight of its body to bear 
against the intruder. The strangers seemed so astonished by the 
attack as to become quite bewildered, and withstood it without 
attempting to act on the defensive. They were, however, always 
soon removed from the inhospitable partridge. 
A sporting friend has generally observed that by far the greater 
number of partridges which he shot were males. On one occa- 
sion, late in the autumn, seven birds of a covey which fell to his 
gun (being all then seen, though others may previously have been 
killed,) were of that sex. 
This species, as is well known, occasionally becomes white. The 
last one, wholly of a pure white colour, which came under my 
notice, was shot a few years ago, at Montalto House, county of 
Down. 
When travelling from Liverpool to London by the mail-train 
(8|- hours) on May 7, 1846, 1 remarked that partridges, pheasants, 
hares, and rabbits, though near the train, w^ere not in the least 
alarmed by it, as rooks and ring-doves were, — all of the many 
birds of these two species having changed their quarters to some 
distance. I was particularly struck by the indifference of the 
