Partridge, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230

The partridge is depicted as a deceitful and impure bird. Males, driven by reckless lust, sometimes mount other males, forgetting their own sex in the process. They are seen as fraudulent in the eyes of God, often stealing each other's eggs. However, deceit brings no lasting reward. When the chicks hear their true mother's call, they instinctively abandon the one who nurtured them and return to their biological mother.

In their fight for mating rights, the defeated male endures intercourse in place of a female and the males' overwhelming lust can even lead to pregnancy through scent alone. This behaviour mirrors the Devil's deceit, as he tries to corrupt God's creation by nurturing the foolish with bodily temptations. When these individuals hear Christ's call, they take up spiritual wings and commit themselves to Him.

Partridges build their nests with great care, using thorny shrubs for protection and covering their eggs with dust. The females often move the chicks to avoid harassment from males. If humans approach, the mother distracts them by pretending to be weak, leading them away from the nest. The chicks, when sensing danger, cleverly hide by lying on their backs and lifting clods of earth with their feet. If discovered, they are sometimes given to ants as food. Eventually, the mothers expose them to the sun near anthills for protection.

Known for their tender, sweet and nourishing meat, partridges perch closely together throughout the year, except during mating season. They become infatuated by lantern at night, making them vulnerable to hunters' nets.

Symbolically, the partridge represents the Devil, as noted in the Book of Jeremiah: "The partridge broods but does not hatch." Despite its impurities, the partridge is not listed among the unclean birds in the Law due to its prudence and wisdom. Its meat is enjoyed by those with refined tastes and it symbolises wisdom and prudence, as described in the writings of Solomon.

Perdix de voce nomen habet. Est avis dolosa
atque inmunda. Nam masculus in masculum
insurgit. et obliviscitur sexum libido preceps.
deo autem fraudulenta;
ut altera alterius ova

The partridge takes its name after its call. It is a deceitful and impure bird, for the male mounts another male and, driven by reckless lust, forgets his sex. However, it is fraudulent in the eyes of God,

diripiat. Verumtamen fraus fructum non habet
Nam dum pulli audiunt vocem proprie genitricis;
naturali quodam instinctu hanc que eos fovit
relinquunt. et ad(added) eam que eos genuit revertuntur.
Dimicant propter connubii iura. et qui vincitur
sustinet venerem; vice femine. Ipsas libido sic agi-
tat. ut se ventus a masculis afflaverit; fiant preg-
nantes odore. Cuius exemplum imitatus est diabolus
qui generationem eterni conditoris rapere conten-
dit. et si quos insipientes et sensu proprii vigoris caren-
tes aliquo modo poterit carere(dots underneath) congregare; fovet
illos illecebris corporalibus. Sed ubi vox christi audita
fuerit ab eis; sumentes sibi alas spirituales; provide
evolant. et se christo commendant.

Nidos faciunt perdices munitione sollerti. Spi-
neis enim fruticibus nidos vestiunt ut animalia
infesta ab eis arceantur. Ovis; stragulum pulvis
est. atque clanculo revertuntur in indicium loci. Con-
versatio frequens fatigat. Plerumque femine transe-
unt pullos; ut mares fallant qui eos sepissime
affligunt; inpatientius adulantes. Si quis homi-
num ubi incubat mater appropinquat; egressa sese
venienti sponte offert. et similata debilitate
pedum vel alarum; quasi statim capi possit;
gressus fingit trardiores. Hoc mendatio illicit et
illudit hominis ut longius a nidis avocentur.
Et tunc demum; longe avolat. Pulli quos perdicis
cum se visos sentiunt; resupinati glebulas pedi-
bus attollunt. quarum optentu tam callide protegun-
tur; ut lateant deprehensi. Cum adhuc pervisi sunt.
a mribus dantur eis in escam; formice. Unde cum
a nidis se removere possunt; ad solem iuxta tumu-
tum formicarum matres illos exponunt. Perdix omnibus nota
avis est. dulcissimas et amantissimas et nutritivas;

for one steals the eggs of another. Nevertheless, deceit bears no fruit. When the chicks hear the voice of their true mother, by a certain natural instinct, they leave the one who nurtured them and return to the one who gave birth to them. They fight over the rights of mating and the one who is defeated endures sexual intercourse in the place of a female. Their lust is so driven that if the wind blows toward them from the males, they become pregnant by the males’ scent. The Devil imitates their example, who tries to seize the creation of the eternal Creator. If he can gather together some foolish people lacking their own strength, he nurtures them with bodily temptations. When they hear the voice of Christ, they take up spiritual wings, fly prudently and commit themselves to Him.

carnens habens. aspectu decora; et mitis. Congre-
gatim sedent multe simul. quanto proprinquius possunt
capita simul vertentes toto anno. nisi a die pu-
rificationis. quo incipiunt ad amorem concitari; et
nidificare. Tunc enim bine et bine sedent; pares
cum paribus. Ad lumen lanterne et ad sonitum
tintinnabuli; nocte infatuantur. ut simul
multe subito iniectu retis capi possint. Nomi-
igitur perdicis; diabolus significatur. Unde ieremias.
Perdix fovet; quos non peperit. Hec avis et si inmun-
da sit in se in aliquo; tamen propter sui prudentiam
in lege non nominatur inter inmundas. et ideo car-
nes eius amantissimo palato commeduntur. hec
avis similiter prudentes significat; sicut in sa-
lomone dicitur libro. iio. ubi de perdice diximus.

Partridges build their nests with great care. They cover their nests with thorny shrubs to keep harmful animals away. They keep their eggs hidden by covering them with dust and secretly return to the spot they previously marked. Frequent intercourse tires them. Often the females move the chicks away to avoid the males, who frequently harass the chicks, for they impatiently want to mate. If a human approaches the nest where the mother is brooding, she comes out willingly to the intruder and feigning weakness of legs or wings, she pretends to be easily caught and moves more slowly. Thus, she distracts and mocks the humans, leading them away from the nests. Then she flies far away. When the chicks sense they are being watched, they lie on their backs and lift small clods of earth with their feet, thus hiding themselves cleverly. When they are indeed seen, farmers give them as food to ants. Therefore, when they can move away from the nests, the mothers expose them to the sun near an anthill. The partridge is a well-known bird, providing very sweet, loving, and

nourishing meat that looks tender and lovely. Many of them perch together as close as possible, turning their heads together all year round, except from the day of purification, when they begin to be aroused to mate and nest. Then they sit in pairs, each with their mate. At the light of a lantern and the sound of a bell, they become infatuated at night and become vulnerable to the twines of mist nets. The name of the partridge symbolises the Devil. Hence, Jeremiah says, "The partridge broods but does not hatch." This bird, though impure in some respects, is not listed among the unclean birds in the Law because of its prudence and wisdom and therefore its meat is eaten by those with the most refined taste. This bird symbolises wisdom and prudence, as it is written in the Book of Solomon wherein we have spoken about the partridge.

Further Reading

David Badke, The Bestiary Blog: Animals in the Middle Ages, Partridge, November 6 2023, https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast247.htm

Mynott, J, Birds in the Ancient World (New York: Oxford University Press 2018)

Josh Goldenberg (BA 2012) and Matt Shanahan (BA 2014), Logeion, November 2022, https://logeion.uchicago.edu/

Castiglioni, L. and Mariotti, S. (1996). Vocabolario della Lingua Latina: Latino-Italiano Italiano-Latino. Terza Edizione. Loescher Torino

Curley, M. J., Physiologus: A Medieval Book of Nature Lore (University of Chicago edition 2009)

Rackham, H., M.A., Pliny Natural History Volume III, Libri VIII-XI (London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1949)

Collins, A. H., M.A., Symbolism of Animals and Birds (New York: McBride, Nast & Company, 1913)

Henderson, C., The Book of Barely Imagined Beings (London: University of Chicago Press, 2013)

White, T. H., The Bestiary: A Book of Beasts (New York: G.P Putnam’s Sons, 1960)

Matthews, J. and Matthews C., The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A-Z of fantastic beings from myth and magic (London: HarperElement, 2005)

Barney, S. A., Lewis, W. J., Beach A., Berghof O., The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006)

Endnotes

[1] Jeremiah NKJV 17:11: “As a partridge that broods but does not hatch, So is he who gets riches, but not by right; It will leave him in the midst of his days, And at his end he will be a fool.”