136 Next to the Ground 



in the season they liked best to beat the hedge- 

 rows. The bachelor birds fed there. The 

 bachelors existed because of the Mormon ten- 

 dencies. Since the stronger cocks will have 

 so many wives, there are not wives enough to 

 go round. So the very young fellows, and the 

 very old ones, beaten in the struggle, flock to- 

 gether in threes or couples the summer through, 

 skulking away from the lords of families until 

 the young are fairly grown. Then they feed 

 round about the broods, growing gradually 

 bolder and bolder, until they are accepted as 

 covey members in good standing. That hap- 

 pens commonly about the middle of December. 

 From then until mating time, the first of 

 February, the involuntary prodigals stay with 

 the rest. 



At mating time it often falls out that the 

 exiles come to their own. Fighting and feed- 

 ing alone the youngsters have grown stronger 

 than last year's lordly Mormon. Now it is 

 his turn to go to the hedgerows, and lag super- 

 fluous there until a shot finds him out, or, dis- 

 abled in fight, he starves. Cruelty of this 

 sort is among Nature's necessary processes. 

 It is only thus that she can assure the per- 

 petuation of the strongest, and the extinction 

 of those less strong. 



Upon sunrises before going hunting, Joe 

 always listened for the feeding calls. By the 



