PARTRIDGES IN THE FIELDS 17 
hatched out on the moor, they, together with old 
birds, naturally frequent it, and they “jug” or squat 
closely together there at night. The fields are visited 
certainly, but the principal food supply will be gleaned 
from their wild hatching-out place; and they fly 
farther and run longer distances, also they are a little 
smaller and darker than those that keep entirely to 
the corn and the root lands. The food they get on 
the moors is, in a great degree, like that of the black- 
cock and red grouse, and their flesh is naturally darker 
than that of the other birds. The coveys found on 
the moors are wilder also, and far more gun-shy, than 
are those of the lower grounds. When they are on 
the wing, you can very often watch them fly clean out: 
of sight without dropping. These little differences 
are all I have been able to observe between the two, 
and in the Surrey heath-lands we have a goodly 
number of these birds.’ ! 
But these outlying coveys of partridges are not 
peculiar to the south of England. A small race of 
grey partridge exists on the slopes of our northern 
fells, and has probably done so from time immemorial, 
in spite of the disadvantages attending upon its 
residence among the wild hills of the Pennine range. 
The shelter which they obtain is far inferior to that 
1 Pall Mali Magazine. 
