
Like the chukars, the redlegs eat considerable quantities of 
waste grain, particularly wheat, oats, and barley. On a winter day 
flocks are frequently to be seen in the stubble fields adjacent to, or 
sometimes far from, the shelter afforded by rough lands. They may take 
an active interest in freshly plowed ground for the tidbits turned up 
by the plow. But they are not reported to scratch up freshly planted 
grain or other crops, and the insects that they eat, especially as 
youngsters, are generally considered to be more than ample payment for 
their presence in agricultural areas. 
Usefulness 
In Spain, in addition to the examples given above, the redlegs 
fit into the pattern of man's existence in many ways. 
| As a source of food -- Emphasis is seldom laid on game as a 
source of food in the United States, but rather on the recreational 
aspects as an outdoor sport. In Spain this is less true. The days 
afield when the game bag hung slack are long remembered - as failures. 
It is still legal to sell wild meat all over the Iberian 
Peninsula. Many markets do a thriving business in rabbits and hares, 
partridges, and pigeons throughout the 4 to 6 months in which shooting 
is permitted. In a normal year some 4,500,000 pieces of game, mostly 
rabbits, weighing about 3,500 tons in all, will be sold over the counter 
of the markets of Spain. Of these, about 226,000 pieces, or about 113 
tons, are Spanish red-legged partridges (a). Adding the 2,000,000 birds 
shot in a normal year and the 55,000 that find their way to the canning 
factories, the redlegs may be credited with providing some 2,000,000 
- pounds of meat for the pot. 
As a source of income -~ Partridges provide a surprisingly 
large income for many country people as well as for the meatman. Par-~- 
tridge trapping was prohibited in Spain in 1956. Before that, many a 
village boasted of its group of skilled trappers who throughout the 
fall and early winter caught birds for the market. Now the trappers 
are replaced by professional market hunters, although a fair number of 
the birds sold come from the larger drives or "ojeos". 
As a delicacy for the table, partridges are much prized. With 
the increased demand, the market price has climbed steadily in recent 
years, In 1953, birds sold for 16 pesetas each; by 1956 the price had 
climbed to 26 pesetas (60 cents) each. This is only a little less than 
the wages for a day's work in the country districts. 
Throughout the shooting season more birds are killed on "fincas", 
(farms or estates), where hunting is strictly controlled, than in the open 
countryside where it is free. Redlegs are the main game shot. The 
(a) Records from the Casa Registrada in the Mercado Central de Madrid. 
27 
