PARTRIDGES IN TREES.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.".1
Sin,—Are not you and Mr. Price Collier speaking of different birds ? I have not been in the United States, but in Canada and Labrador every bird of the grouse tribe seems to be known as a "partridge." Similarly in the Pyrenees I have heard ptarmigan called " perdrix blanc." In Canada the "spruce partridge" in particular, a bird rather reminiscent of a grey- hen, is addicted to trees. In fact, while it seems created to provide the hungry camper with a meal, it is not a sporting bird at all, as if found on the ground it invariably flies into the nearest tree and waits there, as does the " hjerpe" or hazel-hen in Norway. Till Mr. Collier gives us some descrip- tion of the size and appearance of the " partridges " he saw in trees in Scotland, I for one shall conclude he means black. game, which of course are constantly to be seen in trees. If what he saw were really "partridges" the matter is surely of sufficient interest to naturalists to warrant a further communication.—I am, Sir, &e.,
GEOFFREY GATHORNE-HARDY.
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