THE BLACK GROUSE AND THE PARTRIDGE. 157 



to many crops, while the partridge never does 

 any harm, and well repays a little assistance. 



To take an instance, we will only suppose a 

 man, in any part of the world, has ten pair on 

 his ground in the spring. He leaves them to 

 take care of themselves, not interfering with 

 the balance of Nature. A prowhng cat kills 

 five or six. A crow robs three of their nests, 

 and a sparrow-hawk and a weasel so thin the 

 numbers of the others that there are but twenty 

 again left ahve by next spring. But in the 

 winter this man has learnt a little practical 

 natural history, and he takes measures to 

 destroy four creatures — a cat, a crow, a hawk, 

 and a weasel. His partridges enjoy a peaceful, 

 prosperous summer, and rear an average of 

 ten birds to each pair, and he is able in the 

 autumn to put one hundred delicious birds on 

 his table which hcive not cost him a penny. 

 We think he lias acted rationally. 



