The Partridges 103 



army, sport worthy the name may follow. Scat- 

 tered birds sometimes lie sufficiently close to 

 allow of their being beaten up singly, or a brace 

 or so at a time. When this happens, the man 

 who has been sweating over an abomination of 

 hard going, may come in for a bit of very pretty 

 shooting. When flushed the birds move smartly, 

 keeping low, and usually curving away to one 

 side, when they offer a fair, small, and fast mark. 

 In addition to running, Gambel's partridge will 

 not hesitate to tree in any convenient growth. 

 It also has an exasperating habit of running to 

 the edge of a caiion, flying down into it, and 

 climbing up the farther side, which means the 

 hardest of hard work for whoever would follow. 

 While apparently fond of the bottoms and lower 

 sides of cafions, it may be found almost any- 

 where up to a height of eight thousand feet or 

 more, and never very far from water. 



The birds pair during April. The nest shows 

 little skill, being a slight hollow roughly lined 

 with a few leaves or blades of grass, but it usu- 

 ally is well concealed. The eggs number from 

 twelve to fifteen, and are marked with various 

 shades of brown upon a pale buff ground, the 

 whole overcast with a purplish tinge. Instances 

 of the nest being placed in a tree or cactus some 

 feet above the ground are on record. The period 

 of incubation is about twenty-eight days. The 



