48 The Confessions of a Poacher. 



the ground, and sleep with tails tucked 

 together and heads outwards. Examine the 

 fallow after they have left it in a morning, and 

 this will be at once apparent. A covey in this 

 position represents little more than a mass of 

 feathers. It is for protective reasons that 

 partridges always spend their nights in the 

 open. Birds which do not perch would soon 

 become extinct were they to seek the pro- 

 tection of woods and hedge-bottoms by night. 

 Such ground generally affords cover for 

 vermin weazels, polecats, and stoats. Al- 

 though partridges roam far by day, they 

 invariably come together at night, being par- 

 tial to the same fields and fallows. They run 

 much, and rarely fly, except when passing from 

 one feeding ground to another. In coming 

 together in the evening their calls may be 

 heard to some distance. These were the 

 sounds we listened for, and marked. We re- 

 membered the gorse bushes, and knew that 

 the coveys would not be far from them. 



We always considered partridge good game, 

 and sometimes were watching a dozen coveys 



