PARTRIDGE 

 PRESERVATION 



The fortunate possessors of really good partridge 

 ground In a country v/here there Is no hunting, and con- 

 sequently where foxes are not encouraged, should have 

 comparatively little difficulty in keeping up a fair stock of 

 partridges without resorting to the many systems cind 

 dodges which are practised by less fortunate owners. 



In deciding whether the ground Is the most suitable for 

 partridges or the reverse, there are two things, before all 

 others, which should ever be borne in mind. These are 

 (1 ) the necessity for killing down vermin; (2) for leaving 

 a sufficient, and above all a healthy, breeding stock. 



Many theories have been advanced In the Press of late 

 to account for a decrease of partridges in some parts of 

 England, but none of them seem to be at all convincing. 

 In places where the badness of past breeding seasons does 

 not sufficiently account for the present decrease of par- 

 tridges, it is probable that the chief reason for the shortage 

 of birds complained of Is constitutional weakness. Con- 

 sequently the birds In the affeded localities are less able 

 to withstand climatic changes than they used to be. This 

 may be attributable to three possible causes : hand 

 rearing ; Hungarians turned down in the wrong way ; 

 and refraining from shooting entirely In bad seasons. 

 Hand rearing of partridges is likely to produce weakly 

 birds from the fad that many which live to maturity under 



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