THE PARTRIDGE 245 



her of persons, is by no means one of profit to 

 the landlords. The demand for pheasants' eggs 

 is nowadays very great, and, I fear, conduces 

 largely to dishonesty. 



Of all our British game-birds we could least 

 afford to lose the partridge. An English farm 

 without partridges would lose much of its at- 

 tractiveness and homeliness, for the partridge 

 is a homely bird in its habits and plumage alike, 

 and, when unmolested during the breeding season, 

 fearlessly ventures to approach close to our 

 dwellings in the most confiding manner, as if 

 there were no such festival in the sportsman's 

 calendar as the feast of St. Partridge. There are 

 few farms on which there is not at least one covey 

 which elects to frequent the fields adjoining the 

 homestead at times even the garden itself and 

 so is often allowed to go free and untouched 

 throughout the season. 



The male partridge is a most worthy spouse 

 and father, setting an example to the more 

 flippant blackcock which the latter would do well 

 to follow, and remaining in the bosom of his 

 family throughout the season, unless previously 

 disposed of by the sportsman. The number of 

 partridges' nests annually destroyed during hay- 

 harvest is very great, and even when the nests 

 chance to be discovered before being cut out with 

 the scythe, it is very difficult to preserve the 

 eggs from injury, unless they are placed under 

 a hen. It is useless to cut round the patch of 



