38 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE PARTRIDGE 



That partridges should deliberately elect to bring 

 forth a brood of delicate chicks in the middle of an 

 English winter sounds improbable enough ; but, after 

 all, it is the exception that proves the rule ; so the 

 very fact that records of partridges incubating during 

 the dead season are so difficult to enumerate, reminds 

 us that there is, normally, a very general uniformity 

 of practice amongst the nesting birds. Certainly the 

 exceptions are surprising enough. No one would 

 dream of looking for a partridge's nest in December, 

 not even in the Isle of Wight or any other warm and 

 favoured situation in the south of England. Yet as 

 recently as the year 1891 a brood of partridge chicks 

 was discovered at Longframlington, in the county of 

 Northumberland, in the middle of January. Their 

 condition was the more remarkable because the 

 weather during which their incubation had been 

 accomplished was particularly broken and inclement. 

 In warm springs young partridges hatch out as early 

 as April and even March ; but such abnormal antici- 

 pation of reproduction is irregular, and even rare. 



Not the least interesting point in the life history 

 of the partridge is the remarkable fecundity of the 

 female bird. Game-birds are generally prolific in the 

 production of eggs ; indeed, we may accept their free 

 laying as a rule of general application. The principle 



