84 



THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY, 



AN ATTEMPT TO NATURALIZE THE VIRGI- 

 NIAN PARTRIDGE IN ENGLAND. 



A few years ago I purchased two brace of these elegant 

 little birds from Mr. Cross, of Exeter Change, London, and 

 brought them home with me in the coach. I have a small 

 garden, walled round and covered over with wire, into 

 which I turned them, but each brace separated from the 

 other by a wire partition. Towards the latter end of May 

 I perceived one of the cock birds carrying straws, and 

 twisting them about over his head; and I found they were 

 making a nest within a bundle of pea-sticks, which were 

 placed in the garden for them to run under and hide them- 

 selves. 



This nest was the joint production of male and female; 

 it was placed on the ground within the pea-sticks, and 

 shaped much like a wren's, with a hole on one side, and 

 covered over at top. After the hen had laid about twelve 

 eggs she began to sit, and with as much assiduity as our 

 common hen. When I thought it was her time to hatch 

 I examined the nest, and found it deserted, and the egg- 

 shells, which had evidently contained young birds, lying 

 about. Much pleased with this circumstance, I went cau- 

 tiously about to find the dam with her little ones, and, 

 after searching a considerable time, the first intimation I 

 had of her presence was from her flying in my face with 

 great agitation, like our common hen. I retired much 

 gratified, and observed the young ones, nine in number, 

 collect again under the wings of their mother. The assi- 

 duity of this excellent parent was truly exemplary, 

 and her attention unremitting, and she reared them 

 all with very little trouble. What is very singular, 

 there were eight cocks and but one hen, all of whom 

 were reared till they moulted, and got their adult plum- 

 age; when, from some cause which I could never as- 

 certain, they began to droop one after another, and before 

 Christmas all the young birds died. Though I examined 

 the stomachs and gizzards of most of them, yet I never 

 could find out the cause of their deaths; but I have little 

 doubt of its being some deleterious substance picked up in 

 the place where I separated them from the old ones, soon 

 after they became full-fledged, as the old birds escaped 

 this mortality, and the cock-bird is now living, (October, 

 1S30.) 



The other pair never bred, but it was easily accounted 

 for, as the hen was unwell from the first time I turned 

 them down, and she lingered on to October, and then died. 



Previously to and during the time the hen was sitting 

 the cock serenaded her with his harsh and singular notes, 

 some of them very similar to the mewing of a cat. He 



had also a peculiarity of constantly running round in a cir- 

 cle, till the ground whereon he performed his evolutions 

 was worn as bare as a road, and the turf trodden down 

 much in the same way as it is by the ruff in the fens dur- 

 ing the season of incubation. 



Nothing could be more cordial and harmonious than this 

 happy family. When the shades of evening approached, 

 they crowded together in a circle on the ground, and pre- 

 pared for the slumbers of the night by placing their tails 

 all together with their pretty mottled chins facing to the 

 front in a watchful round-robin. 



When food was thrown in for them, which consisted 

 chiefly of spirted barley and wheat, and occasionally 

 bread, the male bird would peck at the grain, but not eat 

 any himself until he had called his family around him, first 

 to partake of the food; which he did with many soft blan- 

 dishments, and with much strutting and spreading of the 

 wings and tail. 



I was much disappointed at the loss of this interesting 

 family; and I waited with some impatience for the result 

 of another season. The season at length arrived: they 

 built their nest again as usual; the hen laid about sixteen 

 eggs; when, to my great mortification, just as she had be- 

 gun to sit, I found her dead one morning, and can no 

 otherwise account for the circumstance than by supposing 

 that something must have frightened her in the night, and 

 caused her to fly up with violence against the wires, 

 which proved fatal to her. Thus ended my hopes of do- 

 mesticating this elegant little bird, as I have never been 

 able to procure another female; though I have applied in 

 London for that purpose. The guard of a coach informed 

 me that he had the care of a basket of these birds by his 

 coach; that they all, by some accident, got out and flew 

 away; and that in the part of the country where they 

 made their escape (which I have now forgotten) they had 

 bred and increased exceedingly. I have also heard of their 

 doing well in some parts of the south of this kingdom. I 

 know that a quantity were turned down upon the large de- 

 mesne of Edward John Littleton, Esq. M. P., at Teddes- 

 ley, in Staffordshire, and that they did not breed at all, 

 but straggled away, and some of them were shot ten or 

 fifteen miles from his estate. 



I should feel much obliged by any of your correspon- 

 dents informing me where I could procure some living 

 specimens of this bird, as I should much wish to breed 

 some more, and turn them out, if I became successful, as 

 they lay many eggs, and are much more easily reared 

 than either pheasants or partridges. 



J. C. 



Staffordshire, October, 1830. [lb. 



