ALECTORIS.
j with only an indication of a spur on tarsus ; sexes alike ; bill and feet red ; great runners, but often perch ; eggs laid in a depression in soil, buff slightly marked dull red.
Alectoris grwca grwca (Meisner). ROCK PARTRIDGE. Fr. Bartavelle ; Ger. Steinhuhn ; Ital. Coturnice.
Above brownish grey with vinous tinge on upper back, scapulars chestnut with grey blue centres ; crown grey with vinous or brown tinge, throat white, surrounded by a black band extending through eye and across lores and forehead ; ear coverts chestnut, forehead and breast grey, abdomen reddish buff ; tail (except central feathers) pale cinnamon ; bars on flanks in successive colours, slate (base), black, white, black, chestnut.
Bill, eye-rim, legs and feet red. , 164-174, 9 156-162.
Tarsus 43-47. kill 14-15 (II.).
Resident —Greece, Ionian Isles, Macedonia, Albania, and across Balkan Peninsula from Bulgaria to Bosnia and Dalmatia ; also S. and Middle Italy (Apennines).
A. graeca saxatilis (Meyer). Browner with an olive green tinge on upper parts and less vinous on mantle ; lures black, ear coverts partly brown.
Resident —Alpine regions from Savoy to Styria (except Jura), and possibly S.E. Hungary and Carpathians.
A. gmeca cypriotes Ilartert. More vinous on mantle, rump darker grey, car coverts chestnut, lures white. Wing 8' 162-169, 9 152-159 (II.).
Greek Islands, Cyprus, Asia Minor, Palestine.
Alectoris barbara barbara (Donnaterre). BAR BARN' PARTRIDGE.
9 Above grey brown ; scapulars slate blue with cinnamon margins ; crown, nape and collar chestnut, last with white spots ; face, throat, and chest grey ; breast and abdomen cinnamon ; bars on flanks in following order, slate (base), black, cinnamon, white, black, cinnamon. Bill, legs and feet red. Skin round eye pale orange red. Wing 8' 162-173, 9 151 (H.).
Resident —Tunisia and Algeria (north of Atlas) ; Morocco ; Sardinia, Gibraltar.
A. barbara koenigi (Reichenow). Less brownish, more dark grey above, sides of head and neck more bluish grey. Wing 163-174, 9 160-166 (H.).
Resident —Tenerife, Gomera, and Lanzarote (Canary Islands).
A. barbara spatzi (Reichenow). Paler and more sandy grey above and below. Wing 8 156-165, 9 147-156 (H.). Resident —Deserts of Tunisia and Algeria, south of Atlas.
A. barbara barbata (Reichenow). Above like "barbara" ; throat darker, more bluish grey ; black bands on flanks broader, white band and cinnamon ends narrower ; collar lighter chestnut.
Resident—Cyrenaica and Tripoli south of Benghazi.
Alectoris rufa rufa (L.). RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE. Fr. Perdrix rouge ; Ger. Rotfeldhuhn ; Ital. Pernice.
? Upper parts olive brown ; forecrown grey, crown and hind neck red brown ; beneath, throat white with a black gorget extending through eyes to loxes, chest reddish buff, spotted black, breast blue grey, abdomen cinnamon, flanks barred grey (base), white, black, chestnut. Bill, legs, feet, and skin round eye red. Wing a 157,68, 150-162 (H.). Tarsus 40-44. Bill 15.
Resident—S. and C. France, N. Italy, Switzerland, Elba, Britain (introduced 1770), rare in N. France, Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg. Birds from Balearic Islands appear to belong to this form.
A. rufa corsa (Parrot). A doubtful form, said to be smaller. Wing 158, ? 142-155 (H.).
Resident—Corsica.
A. rufa hispanica (Seoane). Forehead dark slaty grey ; occiput, nape, and upper back darker brown than in "rufa" ; lower back and rump reddish olive-brown. Bill stronger.
Resident—N. and N.W. Spain and N. Portugal, possibly south to Sierras Guadarrama and de Gata ; Madeira (" maderensis " Tschusi) and Azores, possibly introduced.
A. rufa intercedens (Brehm). Forehead lighter grey than in " rufa " ; red on occiput and neck lighter, back and rump greyer.
Resident—S. Spain, north to Madrid and Zaragossa, also S. Portugal.
A. rufa australis (Tristram). Bill much larger than in "rufa" or "intercedens," back and upper tail coverts greyer as in " intercedens." Resident—Gran Canaria (Canary Islands).