THE COMMON FARTRIDGE. 861 



enough are left to stock the preserves for the ensuing 

 year. 



While the hen is sitting, the male bird remains some- 

 where in the neighbourhood, and gives timely warning of 

 the approach of danger : when the eggs are hatched, he 

 accompanies his mate, and shares in the work of teaching 

 the young to shift for themselves — a lesson which they 

 begin to learn at once. The food both of old and young 

 birds is, to a great extent, insects. The young are espe- 

 cially fond of ants and their pupse or larvse. During the 

 present year (1860), in which there were no broods of Par- 

 tridges, I was much struck by the fact that stubble-fields 

 abounded, to an unusual degree, with ant-hills. In ordinary 

 seasons, these are found torn to pieces and levelled. This 

 year, scarcely one was touched ; and even at the present 

 time, the end of October, winged ants are far more nume- 

 rous than they usually are at this time of the year. Be- 

 sides insects, Partridges feed on the seeds of weeds, green 

 leaves, grain spilt in reaping, and on corn w^hich has been 

 sown. This last charge is a serious one ; yet, on the 

 whole, it is most probable that Partridges do far more 

 good than harm on an estate, the insects and weeds which 

 they destroy more than making amends for their consump- 

 tion of seed-corn. 



I might fill many pages with anecdotes of the devotion 

 of Partridges to their maternal duties — their assiduity 

 in hatching their eggs, their disregard of personal danger 

 while thus employed, their loving trickeries to divert the 

 attention of enemies from their broods to themselves, and 

 even the actual removal of their eggs from a suspectedly 

 dangerous position to a place of safety ; but with many 

 of these stories the reader must be already familiar if he 

 has read any of the works devoted to such subjects. 



The number of eggs laid before incubation commences 

 varies from ten to fifteen, or more. Yarrell says, "Twenty- 

 eight eggs in one instance, and thirty-three eggs in two 



