21 



did the ground open ? There they were, a 



dozen or more of them, springing up from 



nowhere and scurrying with a thousand 



cheepings to tell her all about it. So she S^eOJ3eech 



gathered them all close about her, and they ^'oMa^e 



vanished into the friendly shadows. 



It was curious how jealously the old 

 beech partridge watched over the solitudes 

 where these interesting little families roamed. 

 Though he seemed to care nothing about 

 them, and was never seen near one of his 

 families, he suffered no other cock partridge 

 to come into his woods, or even to drum 

 within hearing. In the winter he shared the 

 southern pasture peaceably with twenty other 

 grouse; and on certain days you might, by 

 much creeping, surprise a whole company of 

 them on a sunny southern slope, strutting 

 and gliding, in and out and round about, 

 with spread tails and drooping wings, going 

 through all the movements of a grouse minuet. 

 Once, in Indian summer, I crept up to twelve 

 or fifteen of the splendid birds, who were 

 going through their curious performance in 

 a little opening among the berry bushes ; and 



