156 PARTRIDGES 



she is off to feed and replace the eggs. The average 

 all round at Pickenham for years has been nearly 16 

 eggs in a nest, and the hatch 14. The incubator is 

 always useful, but use it sparingly, and always remember 

 in rearing partridges that, given a decent season, you 

 will never bring up as many chicks as the wild bird will 

 herself. If you rear partridges at all, rear under hens ; 

 but I would never recommend rearing on a large scale. 



Change eggs change, change, change. Change every 

 year from one side of the estate to the other, and change 

 a large proportion with a not too near neighbour wherever 

 possible. This changing of eggs is going to be the solution 

 of a lot of our trouble on the driving grounds, where 

 coveys are sometimes never broken up. It involves an 

 immense amount of labour, but is well worth it, and it 

 would be ideal if every partridge on an estate could 

 sit on 



$ eggs from other corner of estate. 

 eggs exchanged with neighbours (say 20 miles off). 

 \ her own eggs. 



I have the greatest mistrust of Hungarians, and have 

 seen very bad results in my neighbourhood. Not actually 

 being in a hunting country, we are not much troubled by 

 foxes ; occasionally in spring great damage is done by 

 them to paired partridges. Our worst vermin are stoats, 

 rats, and hedgehogs. The big tawny owl is troublesome 

 at times ; other owls should be encouraged, with perhaps 

 the exception of the little owl, a bird we have not got 

 here, but which 1 understand hunts by night and day, 

 and is very troublesome in the Midlands. Kestrels are 

 harmless, except on a rearing field, where at times they 

 play havoc, especially if they have their nest handy. I 

 consider the hedgehog one of the worst enemies of partridge 

 eggs ; he will take them at all times, and will occasionally 

 destroy quite a young bird. 



We kill about 1000 hares every year, and have never 

 found them harmful on the partridge ground. Where 



