TIMIDITY OF THE PARTRIDGE. 385 
appearance of danger the male utters a cry of alarm, which warns 
the young ones, and enjoins them to seek concealment. Drooping 
his wings in order to induce the intruder to follow him, he pretends 
to be unable to fly. At the same time the female proceeds in 
another direction ; and, alighting at some distance off, she runs back 
to her family, reassembles them, and leads them to a place of 
security, where they are soon joined by the male bird. ‘The above 
is one of the ingenious stratagems by which the young brood is 
protected. 
Some weeks after they are hatched the young Partridges are able 
to fly, and to provide for their own wants, but they do not now leave 
their parents, but continue to live with them in the closest alliance 
until February or March, when they pair off. 
Partridges are of a shy and timid nature, which shows itself in 
many ways. Nor are their suspicious fears unjustifiable, when it is 
remembered how numerous are their foes, for foxes and birds of 
prey make continual and unsparing havoc amongst them: the latter 
especially are particularly dreaded. At the mere sight of one of the 
falcon tribe, a partridge is so overcome with fear as almost to be 
incapable of concealing itself, and it is not until the dreaded enemy 
is gone that it regains self-possession. 
When a bird of prey unsuccessfully dashes at a partridge in cover, 
no power is able to make it take wing, and any one can then lay 
hands on it without difficulty. A partridge has even been known 
to prefer dying in its hiding-place from suffocation to exposing itself 
to the mercies of its pursuer. 
The knowledge of these facts has suggested a very simple and 
effectual method of making partridges which are wild remain on the 
ground without flushing, till the sportsman is within gun-shot. This 
is done by frightening them with an artificial bird of prey, attached 
to the tail of a kite, which is flown over them. 
Notwithstanding their wild nature, Partridges are susceptible of 
domestication, and, with care and gentleness, they may be rendered 
very tame. Girardin relates that a Grey Partridge, reared by a Car- 
thusian, became so familiar that it followed its protector about like a 
dog. Willoughby states that an inhabitant of the county of Sussex 
succeeded in taming a whole covey of Partridges, and was in the 
habit of driving them before him like a flock of geese. Tournefort 
relates that formerly, in the Isle of Chio, flocks of Red-legged Par- 
tridges were reared which allowed themselves to be driven about in 
exactly the same way; and Sonini speaks of two Red-legged Par- 
tridges which an inhabitant of Aboukir had managed to tame. All 
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