PARTRIDGES IN THE FIELDS 17 



hatched out on the moor, they, together with old 

 birds, naturally frequent it, and they "jug" or squat 

 closely together there at night. The fields are visited 

 certainly, but the principal food supply will be gleaned 

 from their wild hatching-out place ; and they fly 

 farther and run longer distances, also they are a little 

 smaller and darker than those that keep entirely to 

 the corn and the root lands. The food they get on 

 the moors is, in a great degree, like that of the black- 

 cock and red grouse, and their flesh is naturally darker 

 than that of the other birds. The coveys found on 

 the moors are wilder also, and far more gun-shy, than 

 are those of the lower grounds. When they are on 

 the wing, you can very often watch them fly clean out 

 of sight without dropping. These little differences 

 are all I have been able to observe between the two, 

 and in the Surrey heath-lands we have a goodly 

 number of these birds.' ! 



But these outlying coveys of partridges are not 

 peculiar to the south of England. A small race of 

 grey partridge exists on the slopes of our northern 

 fells, and has probably done so from time immemorial, 

 in spite of the disadvantages attending upon its 

 residence among the wild hills of the Pennine range. 

 The shelter which they obtain is far inferior to that 



1 Pall Mall Magazine. 



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C 



