XLVI 



OF all our British game birds, the partridge is the 

 The Little on ty one u P on which the farmer looks with 

 Brown no ill-favour. The ptarmigan, indeed, is 

 innocuous to all kinds of crop, but since 

 that fine bird never descends below the 2000 feet 

 level, the average farmer has no opportunity of forming 

 an opinion about its propensities. Grouse and black- 

 game take heavy toll of late corn ; the proximity of 

 hand-reared pheasants has to be considered in fixing 

 the rent of arable land ; but no agriculturist has an 

 ill word for the partridge, which may, indeed, take a 

 trivial tribute of scattered grain from the stubbles, but 

 whose staple diet consists of small seeds, especially 

 buckwheat, wild mustard, and such like, grubs, slugs, 

 and the eggs of insects. 



So may the partridge shooter go forth with a light 

 heart, knowing that his amusement is not obtained at 

 the expense of his hard-working neighbours. A farm 

 may swarm with partridges, yet the tenant will be 

 none the worse, but actually the better for their 

 presence, owing to their diligence in devouring insects 

 and the seeds of weeds. 



190 



