3/6 GALLINif]. 



prolific, tlieir eggs being from twelve to twenty in 

 number. The nest is merely a hole scratclied in the 

 dry mould, generally under the shelter of some bush 

 or tuft of grass : the incubation lasts three weeks. 

 The female sits exceedingly close on her nest during 

 this period, especially towards the end of it, and 

 offers a bold resistance to any birds seeking to 

 plunder her ; but being quietly approached, both 

 she and her eggs may be gently removed, and 

 she will hatch her brood in confinement, departing 

 with them to the fields as soon as the young are 

 able to accompany her. The male Partridge takes 

 no part in the labour of incubation, but, like all 

 birds that pair, he is attentive to his mate, assists 

 her in the defence of the brood, and uses many arts 

 to lure visitors from the nest. The young ones 

 generally leave the nest on the same day that they 

 break the shell, for their legs are at that time as 

 strong, in proportion to the weight of their bodies, 

 as those of mature birds, although the wings are 

 scarcely developed. 



The young feed on small insects, larvas, and the 

 eggs of insects : the old ones lead them to the places 

 where these are deposited, and scrape away the 

 mould. An ant-hill in a friable soil is a fat pasture, 

 and multitudes of the ants and larvae are eaten by 

 young partridges. 



