Birds by Land and Sea 



the cock runs half a dozen yards or so ; then, drawing 

 himself up, delivers his somewhat querulous chal- 

 lenge in the quiet dusk, and stands as if waiting for 

 reply. Receiving none, he runs again in another 

 direction, and renews his call. After this has been 

 done several times, the female may be seen running, 

 with lowered head, to join him, and upon reaching him, 

 she squats low at his tail, the cock remaining upright. 

 If disturbed, the birds use a noisy " Rit-tit-tit-tit- 

 tit-tit-tit ! " as they fly to some safer part of the field. 

 Hearing this note one evening last summer, I 

 was able, by the aid of the glasses, to obtain sufficient 

 light to observe the cause of the disturbance. In the 

 middle of a grass field was a little knoll, such as 

 partridges delight to " jug " upon, but seated upon it 

 was a hare. Madam Partridge stood at the base of 

 the knoll, nagging at the moody quadruped ; but, 

 getting no reply, worked herself up into a naughty 

 temper, which she sought to relieve by running to 

 and fro excitedly between the knoll and a group of 

 birds, consisting of her husband and six children, 

 who remained a short distance from it. In the end, 

 the cock went forward with her, and the two old 

 birds kept running about the knoll with excited cries, 

 pausing from time to time to stand bolt upright 

 before the hare, as if to intimidate him. The hare 

 seemed to be a philosophic sort of creature, and 

 having probably chosen the spot on account of its 

 peace and quietness, seeing these were gone, betook 

 himself off also, and the covey camped on the knoll. 



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