i74 



SUMMER 



the line of any hedge or fence the destructions are innumer- 

 able. In one case that the writer watched, a rat began a 

 strangely ingenious and secretive attack on a partridge's 

 nest, but quite failed for some reason to proceed with it. 

 The nest was a scooped hollow in some rather rough grass 

 alongside a line of chestnut fencing, at the bottom of which 

 was stretched some mesh-wire. A rat, presumably by 

 design, tunnelled under the fence, coming up in the very 

 nest, but rather to one side of the centre. Into the hole he 



v^^. f ,^v^v>^.' l ■ * , -^ i' 



took, or there fell, three of the eggs. It was thought that 

 the partridge had deserted, as the remaining eggs were cold. 

 But two days later, when the nest was visited, the nest-end 

 of the hole was quite covered, indeed half blocked by some 

 very coarse bents of crested-dog's-tail grass. These were 

 also spread about the rest of the nest, which looked gener- 

 ally redecorated, and the eggs were half concealed by grass. 

 The rat made no further onset, for the very good reason — 

 such at least was the plausible inference — that the vermin 

 itself had fallen victim to other vermin. At any rate within 

 twenty yards of the nest a dying rat was found terribly 

 mauled by a stoat. Thus did the partridge, after touching 

 the razor-edge of danger, maintain her place. 



All these ground-nesting birds suffer from the increased 

 thoroughness of cultivation, although some of them, par- 



