28 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE PARTRIDGE 



season, unless some misfortune occurs to one of the 

 pair. In the days when the slaughter of birds that 

 had found their mates and paired off in real earnest 

 was esteemed a trifling fault, a practice prevailed of 

 shooting the cock birds out of the different pairs. 

 Those who practised this method of spring shooting 

 carried their purpose out under a firm impression 

 that it improved their shooting. In all probability 

 they acted prudently enough, strange 'as their proceed- 

 ing may seem to us. The explanation is, that in the 

 days of flint-locks, many family parties passed scathe- 

 less through a season, and the birds of a brood were 

 apt to seek their mates within the ring of their fellow- 

 nestlings, an undesirable state of affairs. Besides, 

 the proportion of male birds was always high, and 

 barren males that could find no mates were not only 

 useless, but reacted injuriously upon the breeding 

 stock. 



The reason for this is not far to seek : few of our 

 field birds are more pugnacious than the partridge. 

 Although devoid of the spurs worn by the repre- 

 sentatives of other genera, our home-bird is of a 

 jealous disposition, and resents intrusion fiercely 

 enough. The presence of any number of unpaired 

 males on a farm is a source of frequent trouble and 

 disquietude. No harm, therefore, can probably be 



