A USE FOR THE PARTRIDGE 247 



moment, and sent on a mainly ineffective migration 

 to some place, near or far, down the wind. 



The country is a mainly uninhabited and unvisited 

 side of life in which something new is to be seen, even 

 by the blase", every day. But only on great days such 

 as the First of September do those most highly qualified 

 to enjoy natural phenomena find excuse to fall in the 

 way of them. Luckily, there is no month more than 

 equal to September in interest, from the nature point 

 of view. The country is, in a wet season such as this 

 at all events, at the best of its luxuriance ; the subtler 

 effects of lighting and colour, which the full light of 

 summer banishes, now return ; the weather, returning 

 from sub-tropical to the medium weather of our clime, 

 is enjoyable without prohibiting exercise ; and life 

 of every kind has the full abundance of summer, 

 untouched as yet by the approach of winter. The 

 killing of the partridge is a kind of harvest festival 

 of which the observance has grown instinctive rather 

 than formal. It is only remotely true that the English- 

 man says : " What a beautiful day. Let us go and 

 kill something." What he would say if he spoke his 

 whole mind is : " What a lovely day. Let us find 

 some excuse to go and enjoy it." The partridge is 

 an excuse. 



