THE PARTRIDGE. 79 



food, but, on the other hand, were erroneously considered un- 

 wholesome, from the circumstance of their feeding on Hellebore. 

 This vulgar notion, like many others of similar import, is of 

 course now entirely exploded. 



RUNNING SEASON. 



At the commencement of the autumn, the Partridges of 

 America abandon the high grounds, and resort, in immense 

 numbers to the large river-courses, where they remain for a 

 few weeks, and then travel back to their former haunts. At 

 this period the Birds are said to be Running or Travelling^ and 

 will not lie to a Dog, and to pursue them is lost time, as it will 

 be found utterly impossible to keep up with them, no matter 

 with what speed you attempt it. In the fall of 1845, we, in 

 company with a brother Sportsman, encountered an immense 

 drove of these Running Birds in the neighborhood of Elk River. 

 When first discovered, they appeared to be holding a conference 

 as to the proposed route they should take, or perhaps quarrel- 

 ing with their leaders as to the propriety of proceeding further 

 on, as they had all come to a stand in a secluded little hollow 

 on the borders of a pine forest, and all were whistling and twit- 

 tering as fast and as loud as possible, insomuch that we dis- 

 tinctly heard the general turmoil at a distance of several 

 hundred yards, and, 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 indi- 

 viduals, 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 migra- 

 tions is not satisfactorily explained by writers, if, in fact, any 

 have attempted the solution of this rather mysterious movement 



