268



Mr. A. Trevor-Battye,



So after all I had only five Hey’s Partridge chicken, but

they throve well in a large wired-in run on the lawn.


They were wonderful runners and very quick-sighted.

The smallest insect on the wing led to a rapid race across the

grass of their enclosure. Sometimes they would all squat

suddenly on the ground with their heads stretched out, and then

looking up I could see a hawk passing high over head. From

the very first they were adepts at hiding: when only just dry

from the shell, on the hen being raised so that I could move

them, they had scattered in every direction, darting in under

roots and grasses and flattening themselves down in the most

remarkable way. Their colour, a uniform pearl drab, made

them practically invisible. As nestlings they had absolutely no

markings, entirely wanting the dark back stripes characteristic

of most game birds, te)-


They were raised entirely on ants’ “eggs.”


We nearly had a tragedy one day. As we were rather short

of wire netting I had only fixed up three sides of a square, the

fourth being formed by the outside of an aviary compartment in

which some Burrowing Owls had their young ones—an arrange¬

ment which had the disadvantage that in order to reach the

partridges one had to pass through the owls’ house. Boarding

18 inches high runs all round the bottom of the wiring as

a screen against dogs or other alarms. The little par¬

tridges took to running along the top of this and putting

their heads through. Once I found one hanging there,

caught by the head. The Burrowing Owls seemed to take too

much interest in the incident, so I rigged up a screen of matting

to keep things safe. But on the day in question the door

insecurely fastened had swung open while my back was

turned, and instantly all five small partridges were in the enemy’s

quarters. The owls got very excited, and it was only by keeping

them oft with my handkerchief that I managed to catch up one

youngster after the other and pass them to the outside.


It was not long before they were strong fliers, and on the


(9) Ihose who have read Mr. Pycraft’s interesting articles in

Knowledge, will appreciate the significance of this fact.



