92 Practical Game Preserving. 



that paired birds would be considerably hampered from 

 carrying out their nidification in a successful manner. 

 The result would eventually be were things allowed 

 to take their course that all wild bred partridges would 

 die out, at least we may take it that such would be the 

 case, as, from observations made, it has been conclusively 

 proved that the above-mentioned numerical superiority of 

 males exists in the average of broods hatched, and that 

 wherever partridges have been left unmolested, when present 

 in some numbers, they showed at the end of only two years 

 a vast diminution. It is, therefore, necessary that every 

 preserver see that his cock partridges particularly the old 

 ones are well killed down. The latter from their head- 

 strong habits are easily marked out from the rest, and an 

 intelligent keeper would find no difficulty in providing a 

 remedy for the superabundance of male birds between the 

 ist September and the ist of February. 



Another matter is the extermination of red-legs, that is 

 the doing away with the French partridge, which, whatever 

 be its claims otherwise than from a sporting point of view, 

 has come to be regarded as an unmitigated nuisance by all 

 who take an interest in partridges on account of the sport 

 they afford. The red-leg, except during downright cold 

 weather, or the first week in September, is 'almost " unget- 

 atable," and spoils sport with the other sort to a very great 

 degree. Gastronomically speaking, they are worth no more 

 than a pigeon, while the way in which they thrive them- 

 selves and steadfastly endeavour to preclude their less 

 gaudy brethren from doing so, is no qualification for them 

 as a British game bird. Under these circumstances, the best 



