common. Birds from a gravelly soil are frequently very rich
in colo.ur, whilst those from the clay are often poor, and some
Cambridge and also Devonshire birds are said to be nearly as
grey as an autumn Ptarmigan.. The neighbourhood of Saffron
Walden produces sandy^coloured birds. In Flanders a tolerably
constant pale variety is known by the name of Perdix
de marais, and has been accorded specific rank by Demeeze-
maker as Starna palustris. Mr. Harvie-Brown has specimens
of a local variety which, seems f o be on the. increase, and in
which the. horse-shoe.mark is white;, and Mr. J. H. Gurney,
ffunr., informs the Editor .that several similar examples
have been shot near. Northrepps in Norfolk. Mr. J. Hancock
(Nat. Hist. Tr. Northumb. and Durham, pis; xi. and xii.)
has figured some remarkable varieties ; and from his remarks
it would appear that these aberrant states of plumage are
mostly found in young birds which Were gmdn ally «Kinirmrig
the normal dress of the adult, ;A very red variety has rbeen
figured by the late Sir William Jardine (Nat. Lib. .Ornith.
rvi pi. ii.) under the name of ,P. montma.- \
Hybrids between the Partridge | and any other species are
Uncommon, but Mr. F. Bond has a bird shot on Blubber-
house Moor,, near Harrogate, in August. 1866,, by the
present Lord Walsingham, which appears to be the result of
a cross with the Red'Grouse; the bill bèing strong and
Grouserlike, the tarsi and feet partially feathered, tha/breast
and, body mottled with pale reddish-brown with a sprinkling
of grey, the quill-feathers dirty white, with lavender-grey
outer webs. The brown colour .of the upper parts iscnef
very significant,, but' the. feathering of the. tarsi and JEegt
seems tolerably-conclusive. A few instances are also on
record of hybrids between this species and the Red-legged
Partridge.
Q ALLINJE. PHASIANINAi.
wG a g g&u i s r t j f a (L in n a e u s * ) .
H E l l - ^ G ^ D PARTRIDG^. ’’
- Per’dM^ riifa.'
Caccabis, Kawg^.—B ill short, stoutjj naked at the- b a s e ; upper mandible
^ecuiyedto the "tip. "N o str ils basal, lateral, partly covered Mid , closed by an
oblong'horny scale. * "Wings'shoh, .rounded’;' the'first three feathers sboifter than
the fourth and-fifth, vHii^fr&re tfie longest. Tail, of fourteen feathers, short,
rounded». Tarsi anteriorjyjscntellate, and, in the itolej armed w ith blunt spurs ;
feet with ong toe .behind, apcLtbree -in f.r^nt united at^heir bases by a membrane.
T h e R e d - L e g g e d P a r t r i e Jg e ^ £Me o f t h e g e n u s Gaccabis,•
a w e l l - d e f in e d g r o u p o f b ir d s '^ w h ic h c l o s e l y r e s e m b l e e a c h
o th e r in t h e i r m a i n p a t t e r n - o f c o lo r a t io n - , a n d a l s o i n t h e i r
h a b i t s / T h e y ^ p r e fb iT S a n d y s o i f iy ^ a n d s e m e o f - t h e m a r e
p a r t ia l t o 5 m o u n t a i n o u s d i's t r ic® ^ | '-the s e x £ s b e i n g a l ik e ;
S’ fjjj }^qlrdo ryfus, LiM^u%-^yst^fet. Ed, 276. (f7oo), pa/riinj.
^ ' ^ ‘NAturh S y s i p .