MATERNAL LOVE. 225 



this bird for its eggs. A farmer discovered a par- 

 tridge sitting on its eggs in a grass field. The bird 

 allowed him to pass his hand frequently down its 

 back without moving or showing any kind of fear. 

 But if he offered to touch the eggs the poor bird 

 immediately pecked at his hand. Her carelessness 

 as to her own personal safety, and her devotion to 

 that of her future progeny, are highly interesting 

 traits in the character of this bird. The other 

 instance is as follows : a gentleman living near 

 Spilsby, in Lincolnshire, was one day riding over 

 his farm, and superintending his ploughmen, who 

 were ploughing a piece of fallow land. He saw 

 a partridge glide off her nest so near the foot of 

 one of his plough horses that he thought the eggs 

 must be crushed. This, however, was not the 

 case, but he found that the old bird was on the 

 point of hatching, as several of the eggs were be- 

 ginning to chip. He saw the old bird return to 

 her nest the instant he left the spot. It was 

 evident that the next round of the plough must 

 bury the eggs and nest in the furrow. His sur- 

 prise was great, when returning with the plough, 

 he came to the spot and saw the nest indeed, but 

 the eggs and bird were gone. An idea struck 

 Q 



