70 lewis' AMERICAN" SPORTSMAN. 



The female Bird during the period of incubation becomes 

 quite poor, and undergoes the process of a partial moult, which 

 provides a few downy feathers to assist in keeping the eggs 

 warm during her absence from the nest in quest of food. The 

 young Birds are quite strong when they jfirst burst from their 

 narrow confines; and it is no very uncommon thing for them 

 to be seen running about with a portion of the shell adhering 

 to their backs. While the Hen is setting, and even after the 

 Birds are hatched, her mate may often be seen early in the 

 mornings, or late in the afternoons, perched on a fence rail or 

 low limb of a tree, whistling with all diligence for a half hour 

 at a time, as if to cheer the female in her arduous and solitary 

 duties. Partridges are strictly monogamous; and it is sup- 

 posed by some that the Cock assists the lien in covering the 

 nest ; and we incline to the opinion that these Birds, in com- 

 mon with many others, do share the cares of hatching the little 

 brood. 



If the weather remains dry and mild after hatching, the 

 young Birds will be able to fly in the course of three or four 

 weeks; if, on the other hand, the season should be backward 

 and inclement, the tender little brood gains strength but slowly, 

 and great numbers consequently will fall victims to the damp 

 and cold while being led about in search of food. 



LEAVING THE NEST. 



As soon as the anxious mother abandons her nest, attended 

 by her nimble little progeny, she is joined by the cock Par- 

 tridge, who gives all his attention to the searching for food 

 and protecting the active little brood from any danger that 

 may beset them. At the first alarm, the young Birds instinc- 

 tively skulk in the deep grass and remain perfectly motion- 

 less, while the old ones resort to every artifice within their 

 power to ward off the impending danger. It is interesting to 

 observe the earnest solicitude with which both the parents 

 watch over their young, and the wonderful instinct they exhibit 

 in guarding them when surprised by the Huntsman, before they 

 are sufficiently fledged to fly oft*. The old Birds take to the 

 wing, and the young ones run with all speed into the nearest 



