156 ANECDOTE OF PARTRIDGE. [P ART II. 



A Partridge, which had her nest in a hedge- 

 row close to a footpath leading to a farm-house in 

 the Isle of Wight, sat there upon thirteen eggs, 

 and appeared so little disturbed by the presence 

 of the passers-by, that the farmer one day, from 

 curiosity, put his hand down to see if she would 

 permit him to touch her. The bird however flew 

 off, but, doing so hastily, became caught in the 

 briars surrounding the nest, and he took her up. 

 He then perceived that her crop had been ripped 

 up by a thorn, and to such an extent that its 

 contents escaped through the rent. He took the 

 bird into the house, where his wife, with the 

 assistance of her maid, carefully sewed up, one 

 after another, the wounds in the inner and outer 

 skins of the crop, rubbed in a little salt butter by 

 way of a salve, and set the bird at liberty. Away 

 she flew, but within a very short time, in spite of 

 all that had occurred, she had actually returned 

 to her eggs, of which, in due time, she succeeded 

 in hatching twelve. 



This story appears at first sight so improbable, 

 that it is perhaps as well for me to state that I 

 have satisfied myself by personal inquiries as to 

 its perfect accuracy. 



I have known of two instances in which Gulls, 



