A STRANGE CHURCH-GOER. 175 



others again, as Ekstrom tells u^, " in order to render the 

 birds forg-etful of their former haunts, are sagacious enough 

 to swing the poor creatures round and round by the legs 

 until quite giddy, and then to lay them under a bush 

 ivhere water and barley have been previously placed." 

 It seems the general opinion, however, that but few of 

 these half-domesticated bird^ breed the first summer after 

 being restored to liberty. Indeed, the Count Beckfriis 

 says, that "if only one pair in three have a family, even 

 during the following year, it is quite as much as can be 

 looked for." 



Formerly — and in accordance with the ordinances of 

 the 22nd March, 10i7 ; 29th August, 16G4; 5th May, 

 1736; and Gth November, 1772 — the Partridge was a 

 privileged bird in Sweden, and none but nobles, or those 

 possessed of certain estates, were permitted to kill it. 

 But these unjust laws are now abrogated, and at the 

 present day the bird is on the same footing as all other 

 kinds of game. 



Speaking of ordinances respecting this bird, reminds 

 me of a paragraph that, a few years ago, ran the i*ound 

 of the Swedish papers. " On the last Sunday in Lent, 

 the Governor's order prohibiting the capture or shooting 

 of Partridges from November to August was notified from 

 all the pulpits within the diocese of Gotland. Scarcely 

 was the reading of the above announcement concluded 

 in B. church, when a fine cock Partridge, as if aware of 

 the jiowerful protection just accorded him, boldly entered 

 the sacred edifice, and, marching up the middle aisle, 

 stationed himself for a couple of minutes in front of the 

 pulpit. Here this unwonted church-goer was for the 

 time carefully taken in charge, and afterwards restored to 

 liberty, it being contrary to the law just promulgated to 

 detain liira a prisoner." 



In concluding this chapter, I should remark that the 



