24 The Partridge Family 



by her catching a glimpse of dog or man. A 

 bevy travelling afoot keeps up what may be termed 

 a twittering conversation, and there is a low alarm 

 note, like a whispered imitation of the cry of a 

 hen when a hawk appears. 



Toward the latter part of September, a spirit of 

 restlessness appears to disturb the earlier broods 

 which are then nearly fully grown. They shift 

 about their native farm, being found now in one 

 field, again in another. In a few days, in an 

 average season about the first of October, this 

 restlessness becomes more pronounced until it 

 almost assumes the nature of a partial migration 

 — if indeed it be not that in the proper sense of 

 the term. The bevies appear to drift across coun- 

 try, and for a week or so are very unsettled. This 

 may be a trace of some old-time migrating habit, 

 but that point had best be left to some purely 

 scientific court. Certain it is that the birds travel 

 sometimes for miles. It is this movement which 

 causes so many bevies to suddenly appear in the 

 gardens of villages, towns, and not infrequently 

 within the lawn enclosures of important cities. 

 Just why the birds travel is not readily explained. 

 They are not in quest of food, for they will leave 

 excellent ground only to finally locate, maybe 

 miles away, upon ground not one whit better, 

 while other quail will move into the vacated terri- 

 tory. It is a curious movement and a matter 



