28 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE PARTRIDGE 
season, unless some misfortune occurs to one of the 
pair. In the days when the slaughter of birds that 
had found their mates and paired off in real earnest 
was esteemed a trifling fault, a practice prevailed of 
shooting the cock birds out of the different pairs. 
Those who practised this method of spring shooting 
carried their purpose out under a firm impression 
that it improved their shooting. In all probability 
they acted prudently enough, strange as their proceed- 
ing may seem tous. The explanation is, that in the 
days of flint-locks, many family parties passed scathe- 
less through a season, and the birds of a brood were 
apt to seek their mates within the ring of their fellow- 
nestlings, an undesirable state of affairs. Besides, 
the proportion of male birds was always high, and 
barren males that could find no mates were not only 
useless, but reacted injuriously upon the breeding 
stock. 
The reason for this is not far to seek : few of our 
field birds are more pugnacious than the partridge. 
Although devoid of the spurs worn by the repre- 
sentatives of other genera, our home bird is of a 
jealous disposition, and resents intrusion fiercely 
enough. The presence of any number of unpaired 
males on a farm is a source of frequent trouble and 
disquietude. No harm, therefore, can probably be 
