506 Birds alluring Intruders from their Nests. 



ments ; pretending to be injured ; flapping upon the surface of 

 the water, &c., in a manner similar to that of the one described 

 by Mr. Waterton in VI. 211., and this for some distance up the 

 stream before she took wing ; the brood had, in the meantime, 

 scudded away under the projecting roots of an alder stump. 

 Those persons who are in the habit of seeing the partridge 

 during the breeding season, are well aware of the variety of 

 attitudes this bird will put itself into when disturbed with a 

 brood. I witnessed a very remarkable instance of this last 

 summer (1834). 1 had disturbed a pair of old birds with 

 twelve young ones, only a few days old : the latter imme- 

 diately squatted close to the ground, almost all of them in 

 different positions, some with a leg extended, others with 

 their heads buried in the thick grass, &c. I could perceive 

 that all of them had their eyes fixed on me ; nor did they 

 make the least movement during some considerable time that 

 I was observing and admiring the wise provision of nature, 

 that endowed these little beings with instinct so prompt and 

 apt for self-preservation. The old birds used every artifice 

 to draw away my attention, and kept constantly flying round 

 in all directions, uttering notes of alarm ; the female evidently 

 appeared to be the more distressed of the two. On my stoop- 

 ing with the intention of taking up one of the young birds, 

 they all immediately uttered a faint cry and started off. 



I suspect that most birds that nidificate on the ground will, 

 at times, endeavour to allure intruders from their nests, when 

 the time of their hatching is near, or when they have young 

 ones ; but I should say this is by no means the case with 

 birds generally; for, on the contrary, many of the larger 

 birds will assume a menacing attitude, and boldly defend their 

 nests when disturbed. Mr. Hewitson, in his British Oology, 

 speaking of the lesser black-backed gull, says, — " After they 

 have begun to sit, they become very bold in defence of their 

 eggs. Whilst amongst them, I was amused with one near the 

 nest of which I was sitting : it retired to a certain distance, 

 to give it full force in its attack, and then made a stoop at my 

 head, coming within two or three yards of me : this it con- 

 tinued to do incessantly till I left it." And of the skua gull, — 

 " It is impossible not to admire its unflinching boldness of 

 attack : soaring high above you, it will, on your approaching 

 its nest, suddenly pounce at a short distance from you to the 

 level of your head, and, flying directly at you, and with great 

 force, will strike you with its powerful beak, immediately 

 rising to repeat its attack, which is continued during your 

 stay, and with increasing rapidity as you near its nest." See, 

 besides, in connexion, Mr. Drosier's remarks in III. 324. 



