Ill 



BIETH, SLEEP, AND DEATH 



SWALLOWS AND PARTRIDGES 



LAST year, coming from Tunis to Marseilles in the early 

 spring, we were delighted at dinner time to see six 

 swallows all in a row sitting on a bar above the saloon 

 dining table. They remained quiet all the evening and 

 flew away in the morning. Did their instinct tell them 

 we were travelling north before they took a free passage 

 on our steamer? Eecently a partridge hatched off fifteen 

 eggs close by this house. I had been carefully watching 

 this nest for ten days. On examining the nest I found 

 six of the shells neatly packed one inside the other, 

 making a string on one side of the nest, while two doubles 

 were fitted inside one another on the other side. The 

 remaining eggs were broken in smaller pieces and lying 

 around. Is this a common practice of the old birds? 



E. TROTTER. 



August 4, 1900. 



NOTE. Tired migrants often alight on ships, sometimes 

 in swarms (viz., goldcrests). I quote Edward Jesse of 

 the Gleanings : " It is a curious fact that when young 

 partridges are hatched and have left the nest, the two 

 portions of each shell will be found placed the one within 

 the other." Jesse's explanation is absurd ; the likely one 

 seems to be that the white of the inner egg-shell is too 

 conspicuous for safety. 



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