82 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. 



or perhaps quarrelling with their leaders as to the propriety of 

 proceeding farther on, as they had all come to a stand in a se- 

 cluded little hollow on the borders of a pine forest, and were all 

 whistling and twittering as fast and as loud as possible, insomuch 

 that we distinctly heard the general turmoil at a distance of seve- 

 ral hundred yards. Upon approaching to ascertain the cause of 

 this rather unusual noise, the whole company took to their heels 

 in double quick time, hundreds running up the opposite bank of 

 the hollow and disappearing in a few moments in the thick forest 

 of pines and underwood. We followed on after them for a short 

 time, but neither ourselves nor dogs were able to keep up with 

 their' retreating ranks. This company of voyagers, we should 

 think, contained several hundred individuals, and was the largest 

 party we ever met with. These migrations of partridges to the 

 sea-coast and river-shores are performed almost exclusively on 

 foot, as they seldom or never fly, except perchance to cross a small 

 rivulet which opposes a barrier to their onward progress. The 

 cause of these migrations is not satisfactorily explained by writers, 

 if, in fact, any have attempted the solution of this rather myste- 

 rious movement on the part of these birds. We do not know what 

 to attribute it to, and are even at a loss to venture an opinion. If 

 the birds did not commence running quite so early in the season, 

 we might be disposed to believe that a scarcity of food in their 

 previous haunts impelled them to wander in search of it in distant 

 localities, like others of the feathered race ; but this can hardly 

 be the motive, as they are found on these excursions as early as 

 October, when the weather is not often sufficiently severe to shut 

 up the usual channels of food, but, on the contrary, is generally 

 such as is most congenial to the habits of the bird. 



FLIGHT OF THE PARTRIDGE. 



The partridge, when full-grown, is a very vigorous and powerful 

 bird, flying with great rapidity, and, like others of the gallina- 

 ceous order, when on the wing, makes a loud whirring noise, which 

 often not a little disconcerts the tyro, who, alarmed at the sudden 



