106 The Partridge Family 



liberately squat in plain view and remain motion- 

 less until struck with a whip or stick. 



Not a very promising subject for sport, would 

 naturally be one's first thought, yet there is more 

 in these queer small birds than is at first apparent. 

 Once flushed, they speed away at a great rate, 

 offering fair, but not too easy, marks. They will 

 then scatter and lie as close as the northern 

 birds. To beat them up one at a time is no poor 

 imitation of Bob-white shooting, and the use of 

 a good sixteen or twenty gauge would add zest 

 to the sport. It is to be hoped, as it probably 

 will prove, that a better acquaintance with the 

 ways of the shooting man will sharpen this bird's 

 wits until it learns to take better care of itself. 

 As it is, its sole fault from the sporting stand- 

 point is an excess of faith in the generous ten- 

 dency of mankind. 



The nest is a grass-lined hollow of the ground, 

 and usually contains about ten brilliantly white 

 eggs. It is commonly found in a clump of grass, 

 or under a shrub, and as a rule well concealed. 



