BUFFED GROUSE; PARTRIDGE; 

 PHEASANT. 



BONASA UMBELLUS. 



THE peculiar interest in the partridge is owing to 

 its close kinship with our domestic fowls. The 

 wild and the tame hens look alike and act alike; their 

 habits are similar; their eggs differ only in size; and 

 both prefer nests on the ground. They gather their 

 chickens under their wings, and call them with like 

 clucks. The partridge seems to have an appreciation 

 of all this, and delights in coming near our buildings, 

 even lighting upon them and on the well-curb, and 

 flying down into the door-yard. Not long since, a young 

 miss of our village drove one into a shed, and caught 

 it in her hands. 



Living for more than thirty years in a grove, I have 

 had interesting experiences with these birds. One even- 

 ing last summer, on going just at dark to see what dis- 

 turbed a hen grouping her chickens out-of-doors, I found 

 a partridge sitting in her nest, refusing to be driven out 

 by the proprietor, who was both picking it and striking it 

 with her wings. I took it up, carried it into the house, 

 examined it, and placed it on the floor. It was full 

 grown and plump, but appeared to be unable to stand, 



