Game-birds. 
239 
THE RED-LEGGED 
PARTRIDGE. 
(Caccabis rufa.) 
captured while performing its love-song or ‘ spel,’ as it is called in Scandinavia, when 
the bird works itself up to a great pitch of excitement and can then be approached 
and shot by a skilful hunter, who understands its habits during the nesting-season. 
The female performs all the duties of incubation, for as soon as the hens com- 
mence to sit, the males take themselves off, and are no more seen that summer. 
The nest is placed on the ground, and resembles that of the Black Grouse, and the 
eggs, which measure a little over two inches in length, are large editions of those 
of the last-named species. 
The Partridges differ from the Grouse in their unfeathered 
legs, and they are distinguished from the Pheasants by their 
short tail. 
The Red-legged Partridge was introduced into England 
from the Continent during the last 
century, and is now a common bird in 
our eastern and midland counties. It 
is found in all the countries of western 
and south-western Europe, as well as 
Madeira, the Canaries, and the Azores. 
It is a beautiful bird with its white 
throat surrounded by a black collar, its 
rufous belly, and its banded flanks. It 
is more given to running than our 
Common Partridge, but when once 
started its flight is direct and swift : it 
is also a very pugnacious bird. The 
nest is a slight hollow in the ground 
under the shelter of some grass or 
hedge-row. The eggs are sometimes 
as many as eighteen in number, of a 
stone-colour or buff with numerous 
dots and spots of reddish brown. 
Like the other British Game-birds our Common Partridge 
is so well known that a description would be superfluous, 
but it should be noticed that a hen bird can be told at any 
age by the colour of the scapulars and the lesser and median 
wing-coverts, which are black with broad cross-barrings of buff, as well as by the 
central buff stripe down the centre ol the feather. This is also seen in the male, 
but the coverts and scapulars are not barred, being black with a marking of 
chestnut on the inner web. Sometimes the old female has a chestnut horse-shoe 
mark on the breast, but this is generally small, and is sometimes absent. Young 
females, however, curiously enough, have a chestnut horse-shoe on the breast, 
The Common Partridge. 
The Red-legged Partridge. 
THE COMMON 
PARTRIDGE. 
( Perdix perdix.) 
