Bussia. In Asia Minor it appears to be very local, and
almost confined to the central portions of the'peninsula,
Mr. Danford having obtained it near Angora (Ibis, 1880,
p- 94); but eastward again, Sir Oliver St. John( found %
gènerally distributéd in the mountainous districts’ ‘to-the
north óf Tehran. ' Thróiïghout the “southern portion of its
range it is, in fact, generally a frequentér “of' moderately
elevated ground not altogether removed from the vicinity of
cultivation. From, the Altai eastward, in Dauria,.'Mongolia,
and Northern China, it is replaced by a closely allied *®jé#cies,
Perdix barbata, the male of which is characterized byjits
smaller size, golden-buff throat and breast, moustache-like
tufts at the base of the lower mandible, and deep black
horse-shoe, mark, on the lower breast. In -Thibet and; along
the Himalayas from the borders of Cashmere-to' Sikkim is
found a third and very -handsome^ species, P:* hod^êêmce,
which, whilst displaying^ a conspicu©iTS:^’hSr;Sé-shoé,'f-and
having tarsi destitute- of:'sfürS,t^et approachesHbtèï fted-
legged group ^krccaJns'j "in Some points -of coloratioh.ftffihèse
three are- the only well-defined species of true Perdikfias
yet known, and the genus appears to- be confined to^ the
temperate portions of the Palsearctic region."
• The-adult male has the beak bluish-Vhite; -thefi¥i^es
hazel; behind the eye, and a/böveHhe oar-divtffifta small
triangular patch of naked red sMfi"?; the forehead, the space
between the béa-k and-%l?e-"eyé, 'with the feathers extending
back wards, as far as the ear-coyerts, and downwards covering
the front of the neck and-throat; bright yellowish-chestnut;
top of the head, hind neck, and upper back, frébkled grêyish-
brown lower back and"“ vrin'g-coverts freckled with ^two-
shades of chestnut-brown on a* 'ground óf. wöod-brówn/ith’e
shaft of each feather, forming a ‘conspicuous streak of pale
wood-brown ; the' quill-feathers brown,< with transverse $ars5
of . wood-brown; the '- rump and upper tail-coverts; some of
which arè long, freckled with two7 shades' of-;‘brown, and
barred transversely withv?chestnut; tail-fe'atHèrs'teighteen
in n um b e rth e tvro middle ones* marked like thevcóverts,.
the next pair with -chestnut centres-and mottled edges, and
the remaining fourteen reddish-chestnut.* The neck and
Upper part of the breast, the sides, and flanks, light
bluish-grey, minutely freckled with dark grey; lower breast
with a rich chestnut-coloured, horse-shoe-shaped patch on-
a ground of white; sides and flanks barred with chestnut >
thighs greyish-white ; under Tail-coverts yellowish-br-own
the legs and toes' bluish:white the claws brown.- 5
The whole length of -the male bird is twelve' inches and a
half. The wing is rounded in form. The length from-the
carpal joint- to the end, six-inches; the first feather- about
as long as the sixth; the second equal to^the- fifthf and all
of them BÜorter -than-the third and fourth, which are the'
longest in the wingr-
The female is: generally a little smaller than the male p
the light' chestnut-coloured patch round the beak is lighter
in colour, and smaller in size than'in the male,rnot extend--
ing farther back over the sides of the neck than a line-falling
perpendicularly from the eye pithe;grey- feathers of the lower
part of the sides of the neck are- more mixed with * brown ;
the lower" breast is greyish-white,- not assuming the dark
chestnut patch till thé second br third year; the chestnut,
bars on the flanks are broader. -
Young birds- before their first autumn moult have no* red
mark behind thd&eyes# the general' plumage*-is of a uniform-
brownish-yellow, barred and streaked with darker brown;
Iheclegs and toes' yeEo-wish-elay-brown. During'the two first,
months of our shooting-season,-the young Partridges may be
found in every" stage of moult.
Varieties ofJthe Partridge in colour are very common^ some
exhibitieg only patches of white; others are wholly white; and
cream-coloured, ór°very pale buff-coloured varieties are" also*
* It is -not easy to count with, accuracy the number óf tail-feathers in prepared
skins of ^Partridges, and authorities’"do' not agree upon this point, owing to
a difference of opinion as to whether the two central feathers belong to the -true
tail or to the upper ,tail-coyertg. After examining a. large number ef-.birds in
the flesh, the Editor has come to the conclusion that the Common Partridge has
eighteen, and' thé Red-leggèd "Partridge fourteen, true rectrices. 'The'fact'that,
as a rule, these game-hirds are only procurable in autumn, when they- are in
moult, adds to the difficulty.
VOL. III. Q