FOES OF THE PARTRIDGES. 73 



This monster owl glides with noiseless pinions, and sweeps 

 and skims over fields, wood and thicket, and with the eye 

 of faith, in the darkest nights, gobbles up its prey. Severe 

 winters, and heavy falls of snow, are particularly fatal to 

 the Partridge, especially if there is a heavy crust formed 

 on the snow, for they frequently perish in its impenetra- 

 ble cover, besides they are exposed to all their foes, and 

 they are frozen to death in whole coveys; and hundreds 

 of them perish from starvation, and many of them die 

 from the absence of water. Heavy rains, and floods, and 

 a long showery spell of weather in June or July is destruc- 

 tive to them. It spoils their eggs, and destroys many of 

 the quite young birds. Domestic animals do the same. 

 Mowing machines, wheat reapers, hay and grain rakes, 

 and a close cultivation of the soil, are engines of war that 

 wonderfully lessen the ranks of these native American 

 game birds. 



10 



