BIRDS IN THE CORN 



a case is on record in which a sitting partridge, 

 seeing that the plough was coming dangerous- 

 ly near her nest, actually removed the whole 

 clutch of eggs, numbering over a score, to 

 the shelter of a neighbouring hedge. This was 

 accomplished, probably with the help of the 

 male, during the short time it took the plough 

 to get to the end of the field and back, and 

 is a remarkable illustration of devotion and 

 ingenuity. Not for nothing indeed is the 

 partridge a game bird, for it has been seen to 

 attack cats, and even foxes, in defence of the 

 covey ; and I have seen, in the MS. notes of 

 the second Earl of Malmesbury, preserved in 

 the library at Heron Court, mention of one 

 that drove off a carrion crow that menaced 

 the family. Both partridge and landrail sit 

 very close, particularly when the time of 

 hatching is near, and Charles St. John saw a 

 partridge, which his dog, having taken off 

 the nest, was forced to drop, none the worse 

 for her adventure, go straight back to her 

 duties ; though, as he adds, if it had not been 

 that she knew that the eggs were already 

 chipping she would in all probability have 

 deserted her post for good and all. 

 109 



